0071421920 hardcover : alk. paper 9780071421928 hardcover 9780071747042 0071747044 007144291X electronic book 9780071442916 electronic book 1280304472 9781280304477
Alternate Call Number
B 70 BER.B
Summary
"The Birth of Plenty suggests - and supports with groundbreaking analysis - that from the dawn of recorded history through 1820, the "mass of man" experienced essentially zero growth, both in economic standing or living standards. It was only in the nineteenth century that the world's standard of living began to inexorably and irreversibly improve and the modern world was born." "The Birth of Plenty frames the modern world's prosperity - or, in far too many cases, continuing lack of prosperity - in terms that are ingenious yet simple, complex yet easily understood. Entertaining and provocative, it will forever change the way you view the human pursuit of happiness and bring the conflicts of both the world's superpowers and developing nations into a fascinating and informative new light."--Jacket.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 387-401) and index.
Formatted Contents Note
An hypothesis of wealth Property Reason Capital Power, speed, and light Synthesis of growth The winners : Holland and England Runners-up The last God, culture, mammon, and the hydonic treadmill The great trade-off Mannon and Mars : the winner's curse The end of growth? When, where, and whither.
"The Birth of Plenty suggests - and supports with groundbreaking analysis - that from the dawn of recorded history through 1820, the "mass of man" experienced essentially zero growth, both in economic standing or living standards. It was only in the nineteenth century that the world's standard of living began to inexorably and irreversibly improve and the modern world was born." "The Birth of Plenty frames the modern world's prosperity - or, in far too many cases, continuing lack of prosperity - in terms that are ingenious yet simple, complex yet easily understood. Entertaining and provocative, it will forever change the way you view the human pursuit of happiness and bring the conflicts of both the world's superpowers and developing nations into a fascinating and informative new light."--Jacket.