‘If you read just one book about economics, make it Andrew Leigh’s clear, insightful, remarkable – and short – work’
Claudia Goldin, Winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics

The Shortest History of Economics unearths the hidden economic forces behind war, innovation and social transformation, tracing how capitalism and the market system emerged.

From the emergence of agriculture to the war in Ukraine, Andrew Leigh weaves a fascinating narrative punctuated by expert insights into major moments in human history – why the invention of the plough led to gender inequality, how certain diseases determined the patterns of colonialism, and even how New York’s robber barons inspired the board game Monopoly.

Always accessible, expertly written and highly illuminating, The Shortest History of Economics is a perfect introduction to the subject.