Praise for Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy 'Short chapters are a delight in this frenetic age . Best of all, the book is constantly surprising. It brims with innovations' The Times 'Packed with fascinating detail . Harford has an engagingly wry style and his book is a superb introduction to some of the most vital products of human ingenuity' Sunday Times 'Harford's richness of detail bespeaks skill both as an economic analyst and as a popular commentator. His sections on barbed wire, passports, the contraceptive pill, infant formula, the bar code and even that IKEA staple, the Billy bookcase, are well researched, racily written and genuinely thought-provoking . His five page essay on the pill is infinitely subtler (and more feminist) than the usual stuff about empowerment . This is an entertaining book' Times Literary Supplement 'Tim Harford, always excellent, turns his eye towards inventions . Over and over, Harford shows us, inventions have all sorts of knock-on effects' Evening Standard 'Tim Harford is a master at picking out the perfect little story that explains some huge economic principle .

he's been my go-to guy for learning about the economics and math behind the world at large. perfectly crafted to light up the pleasure centres of my nerd brain' Roman Mars, 99% Invisible.