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£14.99
Published
25 August 2026Hardback
9781917532327Ebook
9781917532334Press Release
Coming soon.By Andrew Leigh:
Innovation began before writing and before cities. It has shaped our lives and helped ensure our survival, yet we seldom give it the attention it deserves. Nails, nanobots and novels; papyrus, paper and Post-It notes; Morse code and microwave ovens – they all had to be invented. From tools and technologies to new ways of thinking, innovation is all around us.
Dispelling the myth of the lone genius, Leigh reveals the three true drivers of innovation: tinkering, teamwork and trade. From the dusty workshops of antiquity to today’s gleaming laboratories, he explores hives of creativity, the conditions that help them flourish, and the inspiring ways new ideas spread.
A worthy successor to the bestselling The Shortest History of Economics, this is a dazzling account of human ingenuity through the ages.
‘Innovation has gifted humans with extraordinary power… [This] neatly summarises the restless, occasionally terrifying, history of this uniquely human faculty’
—Martin Wolf, Financial Times
- ‘A big story… Along with innovations such as the wheel, microscopes, vaccinations and aeroplanes, Leigh highlights the easily overlooked things that make a difference to our lives’
—Sydney Morning Herald - ‘Sweeps across millennia, from the wheel to artificial intelligence’
—The Conversation - 'Excellent… The Shortest History of Economics should be required reading to any participant in today’s economy – which is everyone. Its inclusion of contributions by overlooked female economists is welcome, as are its brevity and clarity. It’s an asset in a risk-laden, unfair time'
—Kurt Johnson, The Saturday Paper on The Shortest History of Economics - ‘Andrew Leigh takes us on the thrilling journey from building the first cities to creating our complex modern world economy – with all the twists and turns on the way… if you want to know how the robber barons of New York inspired the game of Monopoly, alongside Adam Smith’s contribution to our discipline, this is the best shot I have seen’
—Hamish McRae, i newspaper on The Shortest History of Economics - ‘If you read just one book about economics, make it Andrew Leigh’s clear, insightful, remarkable – and short – work’
—Claudia Goldin, Winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics, on The Shortest History of Economics - 'This book manages to cover the history of economies from prehistoric times to today in just 194 pages of text. It is clearly written and sensible. It will be the invaluable gift for anybody trying to understand how humanity moved from hunter-gatherer bands to today’s high-tech world economy and what economists think about how the system works. In the space available, this really is a miracle.’
—Financial Times, on The Shortest History of Economics - 'In simple, clear language — and less than 200 pages — it does exactly what its title promises… Both finance aficionados and mere novices will read, savour and return to [it]’
—The Economist on The Shortest History of Economics
Andrew Leigh
ANDREW LEIGH is a former professor of Economics at the Australian National University and the author of The Shortest History of Economics, Battlers and Billionaires, The Luck of Politics, Randomistas and Reconnected. He has been a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2010.