{"product_id":"slouching-towards-utopia-9781399803434","title":"Slouching Towards Utopia","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAN INSTANT \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e AND \u003ci\u003eWALL STREET JOURNAL \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE \u003ci\u003eFINANCIAL TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003eFINANCIAL TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBEST ECONOMICS BOOK OF THE YEAR AND \u003ci\u003eTHE ECONOMIST\u003c\/i\u003e BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom one of the world''s leading economists, a sweeping new history of the twentieth century - a century that left us vastly richer, yet still profoundly dissatisfied.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore 1870, most people lived in dire poverty, the benefits of the slow crawl of invention continually offset by a growing population. Then came a great shift: invention sprinted forward, doubling our technological capabilities each generation, and creatively destroying the economy again and again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSlouching Towards Utopia\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of the major economic and technological shifts of the 20th century in a bold and ambitious, grand narrative. In vivid and compelling detail, DeLong charts the unprecedented explosion of material w\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBrad DeLong learnedly and grippingly tells the story of how all the economic growth since 1870 has created a global economy that today satisfies no one's ideas of fairness. The long journey toward economic justice and more equal rights and opportunities for all shall and will continue -- Thomas Piketty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century'\u003cbr\u003eThis is a brilliant and important book. It offers an original and penetrating analysis of what its author calls \"the long 20th century\", the period of unprecedented economic advance that began roughly in 1870 and ended, he asserts, in 2010. Material abundance poured upon humanity. Previous generations would have thought such wealth to be a guarantee of utopia. Yet the age of material progress has ended not in a utopia, but in recrimination and discord. No book has explained the successes and failures of this extraordinary period with comparable insight -- Martin Wolf\u003cbr\u003eThe period 1870-2010 - what DeLong calls the \"long twentieth century\" - saw the world break decisively free of its Malthusian chains, with levels of per capita economic growth without any parallel in human history.  This wonderfully researched and written book explains the roots of this vertiginous ascent towards utopia, while also exposing the causes of the subsequent flat-lining in our economic fortunes and what action is now needed to ensure the long century is viewed by future historians as the historical rule, not the exception -- Andrew G. Haldane, Chief Executive of the RSA and former Chief Economist at the Bank of England\u003cbr\u003eHistory provides the only data we have for charting a course forward in these turbulent times. I have not seen a more revealing and illuminating book about economics and what it means in a very long time. \u003ci\u003eSlouching Towards Utopia\u003c\/i\u003e should be required reading for anybody who cares about the future of the global system, and that should be everyone -- Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard University\u003cbr\u003eWhat a joy to finally have Brad DeLong's masterful interpretation of twentieth-century economic history down on paper. \u003ci\u003eSlouching Towards Utopia\u003c\/i\u003e is engaging, important, and awe-inspiring in its breadth and creativity -- Christina Romer, University of California, Berkeley\u003cbr\u003eAn intellectually exciting and entertaining gallop along the arc of twentieth century economic history. DeLong puts together the puzzle of the past to tell a story of remarkable achievements as well as setbacks. A great way to understand the forces that have shaped the world today -- Minouche Shafik, Director, London School of Economics and Political Science\u003cbr\u003eBrad DeLong manages brilliantly to combine detailed analysis of a huge sweep of global history with an accessible and engaging narrative.  The result is a book full of well founded and penetrating insights that will appeal to anyone interested in the causes and consequences of modern economic growth -- Robert C Allen,  Distinguished Professor of Economic History at New York University, Abu Dhabi, and a Senior Research Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford\u003cbr\u003eImpressed . . . eloquent and clear . . . makes one sad for the utopian possibilities that might have been realized -- Emanuel Derman, author of 'My Life as a Quant' and 'The Volatility Smile'\u003cbr\u003eLike many people, I've been eagerly anticipating Brad Delong's \u003ci\u003eSlouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the 20th Century,\u003c\/i\u003e and it doesn't disappoint . . . it (is) an unmissable book . . . The strength of the book - as well as its immense scope and depth . . . is that it's a work of political economy, braiding the different strands of ideas, Hayek, Polanyi and Keynes . . . In addition, there are plenty of pleasing asides and details. Definitely one to read. -- Diane Coyle\u003cbr\u003eA magisterial history . . . asks the right questions and teaches us a lot of crucial history along the way -- Paul Krugman\u003cbr\u003eA masterfully sweeping account . . . a joy to read. Few economic historians have as fluent a grasp of political or military history or, more important, write as lucidly and with such great flair about these subjects -- Liaquat Ahamed, Foreign Affairs\u003cbr\u003eI've been waiting for Brad [DeLong]'s big economic history opus for a long time now -- Ezra Klein\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSlouching Towards Utopia\u003c\/i\u003e is an impressive achievement, written with wit and style and a formidable command of detail -- The Economist\u003cbr\u003eDeLong explores the slice of history he has chosen - the \"long twentieth century\" from 1870 to 2010 - in depth, and he often writes with verve combined with thought-provoking detail -- Daily Telegraph\u003cbr\u003eAccessible and illuminating explanations of key historical shifts and the socio-economic forces driving them . . . A sprawling but carefully argued, edifying account of modern economic history and its impact on global well-being -- Kirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003eConveys a wealth of information in elegant, accessible prose, combining grand, epochal perspectives with fascinating discursions on everything from alternating-current electricity to the gender wage gap. The result is a cogent interpretation of economic modernity that illuminates both its nigh-miraculous achievements and its seething discontents -- Publishers Weekly, starred review\u003cbr\u003eThis volume, partly an economic history but mostly a thorough record of the global economy's connection with politics, is destined to become a classic in its category -- Library Journal\u003cbr\u003eOne of the most ambitious and admirable economic history books of the year . . . DeLong is a guide whose conclusions I cannot fault -- Strategy+Business\u003cbr\u003eA fantastic read . . . you don't have to be an economist or historian to enjoy this book or reach for the smelling salts to revive you from boredom -- Patrick Luciani, The Hub\u003cbr\u003eDeeply engaging . . . a work of strikingly expansive breadth and scope -- Benjamin M. Friedman, Harvard Magazine\u003cbr\u003eDeLong written the most entertaining End Times narrative since \u003ci\u003eThe Late Great Planet Earth\u003c\/i\u003e -- Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review\u003cbr\u003eWorries that the future will be worse than the present are an excellent reason to read economic histories such as Bradford DeLong's new book, \u003ci\u003eSlouching Towards Utopia\u003c\/i\u003e -- Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed\u003cbr\u003eA masterpiece -- Zachary D. Carter, Dissent\u003cbr\u003eA magisterial new economic history -- Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times\u003cbr\u003eIf you want to follow the conversation right now on global economic history, you should check out Brad DeLong's \u003ci\u003eSlouching Towards Utopia\u003c\/i\u003e -- Adam Tooze, on The Ezra Klein Show\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49407783993687,"sku":"9781399803434","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781399803434.jpg?v=1730500525","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/slouching-towards-utopia-9781399803434","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}