Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy

By: Tim Harford

Narrated by: Roger Davis

A lively history seen through the fifty inventions that shaped it most profoundly, by the bestselling author of The Undercover Economist and Messy.

Who thought up paper money? What was the secret element that made the Gutenberg printing press possible? And what is the connection between The Da Vinci Code and the collapse of Lehman Brothers?

Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy paints an epic picture of change in an intimate way by telling the stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for all of us. From the plough to artificial intelligence, from Gillette’s disposable razor to IKEA’s Billy bookcase, bestselling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford recounts each invention’s own curious, surprising, and memorable story.

Invention by invention, Harford reflects on how we got here and where we might go next. He lays bare often unexpected connections: how the bar code undermined family corner stores, and why the gramophone widened inequality. In the process, he introduces characters who developed some of these inventions, profited from them, and were ruined by them, as he traces the principles that helped explain their transformative effects. The result is a wise and witty book of history, economics, and biography.

Critic reviews

“One of the joys of Tim Harford’s Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy is that it presents this perspective on economic growth so that the most casual reader can grasp it... It's great fun to dip into individual chapters of Fifty Inventions. Mr. Harford succeeds in teaching about productivity, economic growth, monopoly, regulation and other essential topics without resorting to technical terminology and intimidating charts and tables. Such a feat requires a kind of inventiveness in itself.” —Wall Street Journal

“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 centers of my nerd brain.” —Roman Mars, 99% Invisible

“This is a lovely book: the kind of thing whose bite-sized morsels add up to a whole meal, but can be enjoyed and shared on their own.” —Boing Boing
“Fantastically enlightening... Harford effortlessly leaps across time and continents to show readers various inventions in a new light, revealing unexpected insights into 21st-century society.” —BookPage

“Tim reaffirms his status as one of the great (greatest?) contemporary popular writers on economics, this time turning his attention to technology.” —Tyler Cowen, author of The Complacent Class

“[Harford’s] zest for his subjects makes them hard to resist; his lively, humorous style and wide-ranging curiosity make hard topics go down easily…Harford's contagious delight in his subject reminds readers not to take for granted the impact of objects and ideas so familiar they're easy to overlook.” —Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Tim Harford and MESSY

“Every Tim Harford book is a cause for celebration.” —Malcolm Gladwell

“One of the best writers who also happens to be an economist.” —Stephen Dubner

“Harford’s argument goes beyond aesthetics, resurfacing over and over in his engrossing narrative.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Utterly fascinating. Tim Harford shows that if you want to be creative and resilient, you need a little more disorder in your world. It’s a masterful case for the life-changing magic of cluttering up.”—Adam Grant, New York Times–bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take

“Masterful.” —The Economist

Blindly listen to this book

Cannot Not recommend it highly. Super informative with insightful commentary. I learnt a lot from this book. I can see myself listening to it again many times.

Fun and Interesting

This is a great idea: lots of short and interesting discussions about inventions throughout history, but with a common thread to compare and contrast against - in this case, Tim Harford uses the economy as his foil for discussion. Definitely worth a read.

Incredibly insightful.

Very interesting to hear about innovations from an economist’s perspective. This shows some important ways to improve
Innovation and make it more effective.

Great book, narrator needs to stick to his own accent

Great book on content. Harford is always informative and this was a very educational journey. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t narrate it himself (especially given that he’s done it for other books and many podcasts) but I was pleased with the narrator, who’s got a good “book reading” voice. That is, until he decided to try to use an American accent for American voices. It’s just bizarre. It’s like something from a sitcom where a foreigner tries to pass as American but it just comes off hilariously bad. It’s not enough to downgrade the book as a whole, and it’s not even a knock on the narrator, who I otherwise liked. But I was embarrassed for the guy for much of the book.

Enjoyable book

I rarely read/listen to nonfiction, but I loved this one. I first found Tim Hartford's "Cautionary Tales" podcast, but loved this book even more than the podcast. I have to say, I'd prefer it if Tim Hartford had read this audiobook himself. I'm back on Audible browsing for more of his books.