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£14.99
Published
25 August 2026
Hardback
9781917532327
Ebook
9781917532334
Press Release
Coming soon.
By Andrew Leigh:

 

In this brilliant follow-up to his bestselling The Shortest History of Economics, Andrew Leigh explores the major forces behind innovation. Almost every corner of our lives is shaped by innovation, yet we rarely pause to notice it. Someone had to invent wheels and nails, alphabets and printing presses, electromagnetism and synthetic dyes.

Dispelling the myth of the lone genius, Leigh reveals the three elements that really drive innovation: tinkering, teams and trade. From the earliest boomerang to the rush to find a vaccine for Covid-19, he examines hotbeds of creativity, the forces that sometimes suppress them, and the surprising, inspiring ways that ideas can break through obstacles. This is an essential guide to the engines that power progress.

Old Street Publishing The Shortest History of Innovation

In this brilliant follow-up to his bestselling The Shortest History of Economics, Andrew Leigh explores the major forces behind innovation. Almost every corner of our lives is shaped by innovation, yet we rarely pause to notice it. Someone had to invent wheels and nails, alphabets and printing presses, electromagnetism and synthetic dyes.

Dispelling the myth of the lone genius, Leigh reveals the three elements that really drive innovation: tinkering, teams and trade. From the earliest boomerang to the rush to find a vaccine for Covid-19, he examines hotbeds of creativity, the forces that sometimes suppress them, and the surprising, inspiring ways that ideas can break through obstacles. This is an essential guide to the engines that power progress.

 14.99
 
 

‘If you read just one book about economics, make it Andrew Leigh’s clear, insightful, remarkable – and short – work’
—Claudia Golden, 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.’
    —Martin Wolf, 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
  • '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
 
 
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.