FIFTY THINGS THAT MADE THE MODERN ECONOMY

(Abacus £9.99) BARBED wire, television dinners, the barcode and Ikea’s ubiquitous Billy bookcase — are these really the drivers of the modern economy?

In 50 pithy chapters, the economist Tim Harford (who presents More Or Less, Radio 4’s surprisingly entertaining statistics programme) explains how an eclectic range of inventions contributed to the global economy of fast-moving innovation in which we currently live.

Each bite-sized chapter offers a potted history of an individual item, tracing its impact from the local to the global. It also explores the downside, as well as the benefits.

Packed full of intriguing details and bizarre facts, this witty and engaging book offers the most fun you’re likely to have when studying the development of modern economics.