“The Industrial Revolution brought the world closer together, making it smaller and more homogenous. But the same revolution fragmented the globe by estranging winners and losers. It begat multiple worlds.”

If I had been asked what I thought 100 pages in, I would have been quite negative, I think. Landes attempts to write an economic history of the world, and in his first hundred pages or so he covers pre-industrial revolution. It felt disorganized: he has vast knowledge of the subject, but the interjections and tangents were overwhelming, and I am dubious about the accuracy of some of them.

Once he got onto the era of the Industrial Revolution though, he began to shine. His chapters on Japan (he argues that had Europeans not intervened, they might well have had an industrial revolution of their own – I had no idea that because early Japan guaranteed riparian cultivator rights so strongly, they actually built boat-mounted waterwheels!) are fascinating, and he does well to focus on finding the reasons why things happen, instead of ascribing historical events to chance. His studies of colonial powers are equally interesting, highlighting differences between the different powers and their influences in a comprehensive way that is not done enough. Where else can one learn that early England was mostly about privateers and piracy rather than colonies, and as a result the crown issued sailor uniforms without pockets so they couldn’t steal things from the captured ships before the crown got its share?

In some ways it’s a good but weaker precursor to Why Nations Fail: Landes too emphasizes institutions, though he also gives credit to geography, culture, and other factors. His knowledge, however, is considerably more comprehensive, and flipping to any point in the book can reveal an enormous depth of knowledge on the subject at hand (Galileo was in trouble for the same reason inexpensive pornography used to be banned in Italy: such things were fine for those with refined tastes, but not appropriate for the masses. Galileo published in Italian, not Latin). That can be both fascinating and frustrating, but it’s certainly impressive.

Overall, then, I’m impressed. I might skip the first few chapters and the last few, but the middle is well worth the read. Whether that means the book is worth reading overall, I suppose, depends on how much of a hurry you’re in: I’d suggest Why Nations Fail as a speedier, but less comprehensive and content-rich, alternative.

If you do want that deep knowledge of how rich countries developed their wealth, you get can the book here (or in the UK or Canada). Or, just subscribe to the Subtle Illumination email list!