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The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor First Edition

by David S. Landes (Author)
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New York Times Bestseller

"Readers cannot but be provoked and stimulated by this splendidly iconoclastic and refreshing book." ―Andrew Porter, New York Times Book Review

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is David S. Landes's acclaimed, best-selling exploration of one of the most contentious and hotly debated questions of our time: Why do some nations achieve economic success while others remain mired in poverty? The answer, as Landes definitively illustrates, is a complex interplay of cultural mores and historical circumstance. Rich with anecdotal evidence, piercing analysis, and a truly astonishing range of erudition, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is a "picture of enormous sweep and brilliant insight" (Kenneth Arrow) as well as one of the most audaciously ambitious works of history in decades.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0393318885
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0393318883
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  5. Publication date
    May 17, 1999
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.1 x 1.3 x 9.3 inches
  8. Print length
    658 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Powerful and lucid…There are few historians who would not be proud to be the author of this book."
― Eric Hobsbawm, Los Angeles Times

"Mr. Landes writes with verve and gusto…This is indeed good history."
― Douglass C. North, Wall Street Journal

"You cannot even begin to think about problems of economic development and convergence without knowing the story that Landes tells…I know of no better place to start thinking about the wealth and poverty of nations."
― J. Bradford DeLong, Washington Post

"Truly wonderful. No question that this will establish David Landes as preeminent in his field and in his time."
― John Kenneth Galbraith

"A masterly survey…with verve, broad vision, and a whole series of sharp opinions that he is not shy about stating plainly."
― Robert Solow

"A picture of enormous sweep and brilliant insight…embodied in a light and vigorous prose which carries the reader along irresistibly."
― Kenneth Arrow

"Enormously erudite and provocative…Never less than scintillating, witty, and brilliant."
― Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

David S. Landes (1924―2013) was professor emeritus at Harvard University and the author of The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, Bankers and Pashas, The Unbound Prometheus, and Revolution in Time.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition (May 17, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 658 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393318885
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393318883
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.8 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 1.3 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

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David S. Landes

David S. Landes

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
576 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the content informative, expansive, and solid. They also say the book is well worth the read and worth the price of admission. Opinions are mixed on comprehensibility, with some finding it well written and logical, while others say it's a bit of a slog.

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ContentReadabilityHumorComprehensibility
45 customers mention "Content"40 positive5 negative

Customers find the book informative, insightful, and useful. They also say the scope of the work is incredible, logical, and expansive. Readers also mention the basic assertions are solid and the book covers a great deal of ground.

"...The anecdotes are plentiful. The data are useful. The scope of the work is incredible. The message is clear and well made...." Read more

"This magnificent work is an immense scholarly accomplishment by the author and a source uncommon intellectual rewards for the reader...." Read more

"...Despite this problem, this is a fascinating book. Yes, it is a little too pro-Western...." Read more

"...proves and disproves many thing here, but that aside, the basic assertions are solid." Read more

26 customers mention "Readability"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well worth the read, interesting, and persuasive. They also say it's worth the price of the book.

"...This work was a joy to read - a work that lifts the reader to new levels of understanding and perception. A masterful work...." Read more

"...It is worth the price of admission just for the bibliography and footnotes as well as his humor and cynicism. Again a great read!!!" Read more

"...written a terrific example of a history book that is actually enjoyable to read, as well as informative.)..." Read more

"...Still worth reading? For the anecdotes and facts, especially on European expansion; yes...." Read more

4 customers mention "Humor"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor in the book sharp and accessible.

"...What's right with the book is that it is entertaining and informative...." Read more

"...have consistently surpassed others throughout history. Candid and sometimes quite hilarious, he writes in a way that makes world history incredibly..." Read more

"Accessible, hilarious, sharp, I'm reading this for the 6th time in 6 years, I've bought 10 copies, a few for gifts, one for the home library, for..." Read more

"...that this book is informative, but it is also easy to read, even funny at times. Rarely you get to read such quality material." Read more

29 customers mention "Comprehensibility"20 positive9 negative

Customers are mixed about the comprehensibility of the book. Some mention it's well written and the argument is logical, while others say the read is a bit of a slog, very wordy, and lacks great insights. They also find the number of incomplete sentences and statements lacking references.

"...The scope of the work is incredible. The message is clear and well made. Sure, the most politically correct skeptics will carp...." Read more

"...A masterful work. Holds the reader's interest at every step of the way." Read more

"...As a person from a developing country, it is particularly difficult to read this book, knowing that every page offers a false representation of our..." Read more

"...The Wealth and Poverty of Nations' (neat name, also) is a well-written and intelligent treatment of the question." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Peter Lorenzi
5.0 out of 5 stars Diversity is a resource; cultural values matter
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2001
Verified Purchase
Professor Landes has executed a tour de force, a deep, penetrating work that should be required of all college students. He attends to the historic question: Why are some nations so rich and others so poor?
Geography matters, e.g., cold weather countries do economically better than tropical. Climate matters, e.g.,moderate climates are better for growth than are extreme climates. Technology matters e.g., eyeglasses added years to the productive work of skilled crafstment hundrds of years ago. Most of all, culture matters. Landes indirectly yet quite adroitly shows that diversity in all its forms is a resource and that nations benefit from diversity and their other resources in matters of economic and human development if -- perhaps only if -- that nation forges consensus around common values: political and economic freedom; private property and the rule of law; a system of progression and success through merit; and education, training and entrepreneurship.
The anecdotes are plentiful. The data are useful. The scope of the work is incredible. The message is clear and well made. Sure, the most politically correct skeptics will carp. But the world still has not yet witnessed a major economic power between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. A small portion of the world's population produces an abundance of the globe's wealth (and, yes, of course, consumes much of what it makes). And the link between political freedom (and its correlates) and economic growth is very clear. Tyranny eventually fails. Technology will eventually be adopted and exploited.
A nation's common, progressive, evolving, empowering culture provides the template for economic development and success. Full marks, professor.
48 people found this helpful
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Bob Blum
5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterful Creation
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2010
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This magnificent work is an immense scholarly accomplishment by the author and a source uncommon intellectual rewards for the reader. Its panoramic view of world history provides an upward spiral that opens into a view of the historic, geographical, cultural, religious, and value-driven reasons for the immense disparity in the wealth of nations. Dr. Landes does not allow society's current obsession with political correctness and moral relativism to impede the analysis of the variations among the use of technology, science, economic, and commercial methodology in the well-being of societies as manifested in the incomes, health, education, and quality of life of their peoples. The reader is treated not only to expanded horizons of understanding of the way in which interconnected factors have shaped the course of world history; the reader is treated to a display of the exceptionally comprehensive grasp of many and diverse fields of knowledge that Professor Landes brings to the task: history, economics, geography, religion, technology, science, anthropology, and sociology. This work was a joy to read - a work that lifts the reader to new levels of understanding and perception. A masterful work. Holds the reader's interest at every step of the way.
7 people found this helpful
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Omer Belsky
4.0 out of 5 stars The Big Question
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2003
Verified Purchase
You and I are part of a fortunate minority. We are literate, we have access to phones and to the Internet, we are likely (save some unexpected disease or misfortune) to live to an old age. We are almost certainly belonging to what is known as 'The First World', or to small rich minorities within the rest of the world. Most people in this world do not have those privileges - we live in islands of fortune within an ocean of poverty. And professor Landes tries to understand why. He tries to find out what is special about Western civilization (and Japan) - why Japan and the West got rich while the rest of the world lagged behind, and most of it still does.
It is by the nature of such a book to be controversial, and Landes doesn't pull his punches; his approach is neoclassicist, although hardly a dogmatic one. He is rough on Postmodernists, Saidian Anti-Orientalists, French and Japanese protectionists, Spanish Roman Catholics, and many others. Among the reviews you'll read here, Landes irritates Catholics, third world enthusiasts, anti-Western intellectuals, extreme right wind Capitalists, anti-Japanese, and so on, and so on.
So, you've got controversy. But what is Landes actually saying? Well, in brief, Landes book focuses on three major reasons for Wealth/Poverty: Geography, Infrastructure, and Culture.
The discussion of Geography, early in the book, is at best half hearted. Some of the points seem valid - but you're always inclined to say 'On the other hand'. Are there really fewer diseases in Europe then in Africa? maybe, but transportation is easier. The black death annihilated a third of the European population in the 13th century. Does Heat makes labour harder and less efficient? I guess the builders of the Pyramids haven't heard Landes's thesis - or maybe hardships can be overcomming with whipping.
The best parts of the book deal with Infrastructure. In these, Landes has three main themes: Freedom, Capitalism and Science (Or, if you wish, Anarchy, Greed and Heresy).
Freedom allows people to do things. Landes portrayal of the centrally planned economies of ancient China, where the Emperor ruled everything, is powerful, and it seems to play a large role in the lack of initiative in China, despite the great achievements.
Capitalism, most noticeably in the form of Greed and Competition, drives people forward. Again, Landes comparison between the Chinese and the European Sea quests are enlightening. Europeans went in small ships, eager to outdo the competition and to come back making a fortune. The Chinese went with huge Ships, symbols of the empire rather than instruments of trade. They were unprofitable, victims of the ruler's whim, and, without a strong faction of interested merchants, had no chance of continuing throughout. Also interesting is that Europeans went looking for India and spices, while China was self-sufficient.
Science - Chinese science was much more sophisticated than European science back in the year 1,000. The Indians have invented the zero. But nowhere except in Europe did science work methodically, nowhere else was it progressive. Newton is famous of saying that he stood on the shoulder of giants - discoveries in China and the rest of the world were rarely followed up - gunpowder was discovered in China much before it was in Europe, but the Chinese never used it for weapons. In Europe, it became part of the war methods almost immediately. Landes discussions of clocks and glasses are particularly telling.
The Third Element - Culture - is the one with which I have the most trouble. Landes repeatedly attacks economists for discounting culture (for example in the last chapter, page 517 in my edition). He claims that they disregard it because it can't be quantified. Wrong. The reason Economists distrust culture is because it is such a 'one size fits all' argument. Japanese responds to the west was everything the Chinese should have done but didn't. ... Culture. Arab nations are stuck well behind everyone else, despite the great advantage they have in the shape of oil. ... Culture. Asians manage to pull themselves along, while most of the third worlders can't. ... Well, culture, again.
I'm not saying that Culture plays no part. Obviously it does. But it becomes an obstacle to understanding, and Landes can support it only with anecdotal evidence (a lovely and touching story of a Japanese woman), and unanswered question (Is Islam a cause for the suppression of women? maybe).
Despite this problem, this is a fascinating book. Yes, it is a little too pro-Western. The problem is really more one of emphasis than one of facts - in my view, Landes is pretty close the mark usually, but he much underestimates the responsibility of the West for African poverty. Something's are left relatively unexplained - the current fast rise of China, which might undertake the point Landes made about the vitality of Freedom
But ultimately, as Landes acknowledges, no one book can solve the question of poverty and wealth. The answer is necessarily multi-faceted. 'The Wealth and Poverty of Nations' (neat name, also) is a well-written and intelligent treatment of the question.
218 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Harald Peter Schneider
5.0 out of 5 stars Tutto bene
Reviewed in Italy on March 4, 2023
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Tutto bene
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E.S.M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente para entender as desigualdades dos países
Reviewed in Brazil on May 31, 2020
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Um dos livros mais interessantes para entender como o Japão, um país minúsculo, é rico e o Brasil, uma vastidão, um país rico, mas pobre ao mesmo tempo. O autor traz a cultura dos povos, a religião etc. e como esses fatores contribuem para sermos o que somos como povos e nações. Um livro de leitura corrente. Um must read!
One person found this helpful
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Peter Tillemans
5.0 out of 5 stars My son was very enthusiastic receiving it
Reviewed in Germany on December 31, 2020
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It was a gift for my son, he was happy with the book, so I am happy.
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JP
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in Canada on July 22, 2019
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Nice
One person found this helpful
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Francisco Correa
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
Reviewed in Mexico on October 24, 2017
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Me mandaron lo que pedi, sin contratiempos ni falsificaciones ni clones. El libro es tal cual venía indicado. Completamente recomendable.
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