The Shortest History of Innovation

A$28 · Offered by Harry Hartog Rare Books

From the wheel to gene editing, new ideas shape our world. In this dazzling, surprising and always entertaining book, bestselling author Andrew Leigh tells the story of innovation. Innovation shapes almost every corner of our lives, yet we rarely pause to notice it. Someone had to invent nails and wheelbarrows; alphabets and books; glass windows and windscreen wipers; tin cans and synthetic dyes. From tools and technologies to fresh approaches in art and architecture, innovation surrounds us. Leigh shows that three forces drive innovation: tinkering, teams and trade. He examines hotbeds of creativity, the forces that suppress them, and the surprising ways ideas travel across borders and disciplines. The result is a lively, compact look at the engines powering progress. A brilliant follow-up to the international bestseller The Shortest History of Economics. ' The Shortest History of Innovation neatly summarises the restless, occasionally terrifying, history of this uniquely human faculty.' Financial Times, Martin Wolf's best summer books of 2026: Economics 'Sweeping across millennia, from the wheel to artificial intelligence, Leigh argues three forces underpin most innovation: tinkering, teamwork and trade.The alliteration is elegant. More importantly, however, it captures much of what innovation scholars have long observed: ideas become valuable not through inspiration alone, but through experimentation, collaboration and exchange.' -The Conversation 'Along with innovations s

• Binding: Hardcover

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