Author Description

A clear & illuminating narrative which describes the main episodes in man's road to riches & traces the connections between. A tour of the world economy since 10,000 B.C. Uncovers the march of economic progress virtually from the beginning, & in other civilizations as well as the West. Weaves a colorful tapestry of economic history, explaining, for example, how medieval productivity was enhanced by the invention of spectacles (which extended the working lifetime of craftsmen) & by padded collars (which enabled horses to take over from oxen as beasts of burden). Jay says more about globalization in a few pages than most authors say in large volumes. A book for intelligent & thought lay readers as well as scholars.Ó Illus.