Economics gifts

For readers of Brett Christophers, Yanis Varoufakis and Grace Blakeley, Pettifor unpacks the hidden world of shadow banking and show how global markets really work. Wall Street controls the price of anything. Larger than the national economies, and almost invisible, it nevertheless determines the international costs of everyday things - from the cost of oil to household goods and most...

A pyrotechnic examination of Elon Musk as a symptom and avatar of our postliberal age Who on earth is Elon Musk and what is he doing? Is he a hero, a villain, or does he swing constantly between those two poles? According to the constant media gush driven by his every act and pronouncement, Musk is best understood in personal...

Wrangle your herd of cows across the Midwest prairie and deliver it to Kansas City.  1-4 Players  |  75-150 Mins  |  Ages 12+ Features: Deck, Bag, and Pool Building, Hand Management, Ownership, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game Theme: American West, Animals, Economic Description:  America in the 19th century: You are a rancher and repeatedly herd your cattle from Texas...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND SCHRODERS BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 'Original and thought-provoking... A brilliantly erudite account of the major waves in the theory and practice of management' - Financial Times 'Instead of theory it has wisdom... an excellent...

The US is the source of just about all the technologies that define modern life: personal computers, operating systems, smartphones, e-commerce, web browsers, email, search engines, social networks, electric cars and the rest. And most of the tech companies that created and monetized these technologies are also in the US. In this book, Mehran Gul, the winner of the Financial...

The sequel to the global phenomenon The Spirit Level, this book explores the impact of inequality on each of us individually. Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett's The Spirit Level, now published in more than twenty languages, has been one of the most influential non-fiction books published in the last decade. It shows conclusively how less equal societies fare worse than...

From one of tech's boldest thinkers and his longtime deputy, this is a sweeping indictment of Silicon Valley and a treatise on how the West has slid into a culture of complacency – even as we enter a new era of mounting global threats. Our most brilliant engineering minds once collaborated with government to advance world-changing technologies. Their efforts secured...

The Great Crash 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith, one of America's foremost economists, follows the incredible economic rise and fall that led to the great crash of 1929. No account of the financial insanity of 1929 has been issued in a form at once so readable, so humorous, and so carefully authenticated as this classic book. J.K. Galbraith examines the...

A new collection of simple yet powerful words and wisdom from Warren Buffett about today’s economy and how investing has changed in the past two decades – from crypto to climate change – compiled and commented upon by bestselling authors Mary Buffett and David Clark. Warren Buffett’s investment achievements are unparalleled. He owes his success to hard work, integrity, and...

A compellingly readable, critically acclaimed, agenda-setting account of how and why cities function as they do and why so many of us choose to live in them. Understanding the modern city and the powerful forces within it is the life's work of Harvard urban economist Edward Glaeser, who at forty is hailed as one of the world's most exciting urban...

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST ECONOMICS BOOK OF THE YEAR AND THE ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR From one of the world's leading economists, Brad DeLong, comes Slouching Towards Utopia, a sweeping new history of the 20th century that explores the...

The (Mis)Behaviour of Markets by Benoit B. Mandelbrot and Richard L. Hudson is a groundbreaking work that challenges traditional financial models and presents a revolutionary perspective on market dynamics. With the use of fractal geometry, Mandelbrot, often hailed as the father of this mathematical concept, delves deep into the unpredictable and complex nature of financial markets. This new edition includes...

The paradigm-shifting classic that connected the dots between transatlantic slavery, capitalism and racism. “If one criterion of a classic is its ability to reorient our most basic way of viewing an object or a concept, Eric Williams's study supremely passes that test” – Seymour Drescher Arguing that the slave trade was at the heart of Britain's economic progress, Eric Williams's...

The Entrepreneurial State by Mariana Mazzucato offers a compelling and provocative re-examination of the common beliefs about innovation and the roles of the public and private sectors in fostering economic growth. This bestselling exposé unveils the often-overlooked role of the state in driving groundbreaking advancements and highlights the dangers of ignoring this critical truth. Conventional wisdom suggests that innovation thrives...

This book has a miraculous quality.... As a memoir this is hard to put down; if you are seeking a better American future you should pick it up.”—Timothy Snyder, New York Times best-selling author of On Tyranny INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A celebrated foreign policy expert and key impeachment witness reveals how declining opportunity has set America on the...

Crashed by Adam Tooze is an incisive and comprehensive analysis of the events and aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis of 2008. A profound piece of economic history that stretches beyond the collapse of Lehman Brothers, this book examines how the reverberations of the crisis continue to impact our world today. Tooze provides readers with a meticulous breakdown of the...

A classic work of social science from the twentieth century's most prophetic critic of capitalism Prospect One of the most powerful books in social sciences ever written. ... A must-read Thomas Piketty The twentieth century's most prophetic critic of capitalism Prospect Tracing the history of capitalism in England and beyond, Karl Polanyi's landmark 1944 classic brilliantly exposed the myth of...

Hotel is the classic five-star family game! Develop luxury hotels around the world and make your opponents pay to stay. The more you build, the richer you get. Will you own it all or lose a fortune? 2-4 Players | 60 Mins | Age 8+ BE THE ULTIMATE PROPERTY TYCOON: Develop luxury hotels around the world and make your opponents...

*** Longlist for the FT and Schroder Business Book of the Year 2025 ***** Named word of the year in US, UK and Australia ***'Enshittification' will be the most talked about tech book of the year.*"Enshittification" is Doctorow's word to describe the decay of online platforms. It captures the feeling of a world that is ever worsening.Enshittification is not a...

Luthier transports players to the height of classical music in Western Europe, when the art of the instrument was upheld equally by skilled craftspeople, noble patrons, virtuoso performers, and famous composers such as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. Using a new, unique combination of hidden bidding and worker placement, players manage resources to craft various musical instruments in their workshop, while also...

In April 1956, a refitted oil tanker carried fifty-eight shipping containers from Newark to Houston. From that modest beginning, container shipping developed into a huge industry that made the boom in global trade possible. The Box tells the dramatic story of the container's creation, the decade of struggle before it was widely adopted, and the sweeping economic consequences of the...

A brilliant global narrative that unravels the defining story of the past thousand years. A Financial Times Book of the Year No other phenomenon has shaped human history as decisively as capitalism. It structures how we live and work, how we think about ourselves and others, how we organise our politics. Sven Beckert situates the story of capitalism within the...

Super and Pension Changes Updated for 2026 The fastest growing demographic in Australia are retirees, with the number of people over 75 expected to double within 10 years. Retirement is often touted as a worry-free time – but it's also a time full of unique challenges. Retirement can be a jungle of decision-making. What sort of assets will you invest...

An Uncommon Land is a story of enclosure, dispossession, colonisation and – ultimately – hope for a better future. Through the lens of her ancestors’ stories, Catherine Knight throws light on the genesis and evolution of the commons, its erosion through enclosure and the ascendency of private property in parallel with the rise of capitalism – a history that has...

The latest must-read book from the authors of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Aftershock series of books, Fake Money, Real Danger strips away the confusion and exposes what’s really happening to our economy and investments—and shows you what to do about it now, before it’s too late. Picking up where Aftershock left off, Fake Money, Real...

An excellent primer on key insights and questions in ecological economics from a celebrated pioneer of the field. Less is More The Earth is in overshoot. The juggernaut of economic growth rolls on, consuming the biosphere, breaking planetary boundaries, and stretching inequality and injustice to the breaking point. But does it really need to be this way? And if not,...

The complex world of economics - untangled. Discover everything you need to know about economics with this unique graphic guide. Combining clear, jargon-free language and bold, eye-catching graphics, How Economics Works is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to all aspects of economics. Covering everything from economic theories to international trade, the book presents the groundbreaking ideas of key economists -...

The bestselling and internationally translated book 24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep explores some of the ruinous consequences of the expanding non-stop processes of twenty-first-century capitalism. The marketplace now operates through every hour of the clock, pushing us into constant activity and eroding forms of community and political expression, damaging the fabric of everyday life. Jonathan Crary examines...

A chronicle of recent events that have shaken the world, from the author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century "What makes this manifesto noteworthy is that it comes from . . . an economist who gained his reputation as a researcher with vaguely left-of-centre sensibilities but was far from a radical. Yet the times are such . . . that...

An eye-opening exploration of humanity's unprecedented path to global depopulation and why it's in everyone's interests to prevent it. If we continue as we are, with birth rates falling globally, the world's human population will peak in the next few decades—and then begin a sudden and rapid decline. It would be easy to think that fewer people would be better—better...

New York Times Bestseller New York Times reporter and “Corner Office” columnist David Gelles reveals legendary GE CEO Jack Welch to be the root of all that’s wrong with capitalism today and offers advice on how we might right those wrongs. In 1981, Jack Welch took over General Electric and quickly rose to fame as the first celebrity CEO. He...

Economic forecaster James Rickards returns with a new book investigating the urgent problem of global supply chain disruption—how it came about, why it will persist, and what consumers can do to lighten the burden of limited choice. Empty shelves, petrol station queues, and energy shortages—crises more familiar to those who lived through the 1960s and 1970s have now become a...

The essential guide to understanding the real economics behind a universal basic income Shouldn't everyone receive a stake in society's wealth? Could we create a fairer world by granting a guaranteed income to all? What would this mean for our health, wealth and happiness? A basic income is a regular cash transfer from the state, received by all individual citizens....

Why did Rome fall - and what can it teach us about the decline of the West today? A historian and a political economist investigate. Over the last three centuries, the West rose to dominate the planet. Then, suddenly, around the turn of the millennium, history reversed. Faced with economic stagnation and internal political division, the West has found itself...

The real story behind the mercurial Masayoshi Son, who has three times lost and made tens of billions of dollars. Gambling Man is the biography of one of the world's least known but most consequential investors. Japan's Masayoshi Son has made and lost several fortunes, investing or controlling assets worth $1 trillion in the past two decades through his media-tech...

An incisive, hard-hitting and utterly compelling expose of media, powerful mates and multimillion-dollar deals that reads like a thriller. "Not since The Latham Diaries came out in 2005 has a book delivered so many scoops, insights and revelations into how power is wielded in Australia ... a treasure trove of gems" - Crikey "Pamela Williams has written a manual for...

Adair Turner became chairman of Britain's Financial Services Authority just as the global financial crisis struck in 2008, and he played a leading role in redesigning global financial regulation. In this eye-opening book, he sets the record straight about what really caused the crisis. It didn't happen because banks are too big to fail—our addiction to private debt is to...

Wool to Weta by Paul Callaghan explores the dynamic intersection of science, technology, and intellectual property in shaping the future economic landscape of New Zealand. Through a series of thought-provoking essays and public lectures, Callaghan challenges the nation's over-reliance on traditional sectors such as tourism and farming, arguing that such dependence may lead to an inevitable decline in OECD rankings....

_______________ ‘A fascinating exploration that challenges our basic assumptions of what work means’ - Yuval Noah Harari 'There is eminently underlinable stuff on most pages ... Fascinating' - The Times 'One of those few books that will turn your customary ways of thinking upside down' - Susan Cain 'Illuminating' - New Statesman _______________ A revolutionary new history of humankind through...

Delve into the fascinating evolution of one of humanity's most pivotal inventions with Money by Jacob Goldstein. This compelling narrative takes readers on an intriguing journey through centuries, uncovering how the abstract concept of money was conjured and why it has become indispensable to our modern lives. Goldstein masterfully deciphers the enigma of money, offering insights into its origin, significance,...

Despite its manifest failures, the narrative of neoliberalism retains its grip on the public mind and the policies of governments all over the world. By this narrative, less regulation and more 'animal spirits' capitalism produce not only greater prosperity, but more freedom for individuals in society—and is therefore morally better. But, in The Road to Freedom Stiglitz asks, whose freedom...

Leading global experts provide a sweeping, empowering playbook to tackle what Yuval Harari has described as one of the biggest threats to humanity, for fans of Shoshana Zuboff's internationally bestselling The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. Your life online is their product. In the past, colonialism was a landgrab of natural resources, exploitative labour, and private property from countries around the...

Consequences of Capitalism by Noam Chomsky and Marv Waterstone is an essential primer that delves into the intricate workings of capitalism, politics, and the global landscape that shapes our daily lives. This compelling text is based on the highly acclaimed undergraduate lecture series ‘What is Politics?’, offering readers a thorough understanding of the mechanisms that govern our world. In this...

Boomerang by Michael Lewis is a brilliantly insightful and darkly humorous exploration of Europe’s economic meltdown. In this riveting and timely read, Lewis travels across the continent, uncovering the absurdities and shocking realities of financial systems gone haywire. From the crumbling infrastructure of Greece to the peculiar tax avoidance strategies of hairdressers, each chapter paints a vivid and often hilarious...

A transformative new way of tackling the current divisions and future challenges that societies the world over now face from the Director of the LSE. Longlisted for the 2021 FT / McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award One of the world's most influential economists sets out the basis for a new social contract fit for the 21st century. What...

Poor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo is an illuminating exploration into the daily lives of the world's poorest citizens. Through groundbreaking research and compelling narratives, the authors challenge conventional wisdom and offer profound insights into the lives of those living on less than $1 a day. From rural villages in India to urban slums in South America,...

Hot Money by Naomi Klein is a compelling and deeply researched exploration of how unfettered capitalism is imperilling our planet. In this incisive work, Klein meticulously lays out the intricacies of climate science, economic forces, and political policies, revealing a sobering truth: the climate crisis is deeply entwined with the logic of market deregulation and neoliberal dogma. Through a series...

Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022. Football has always measured success by what you win, but only in the last twenty years have clubs started to think about how you win. Data has now suffused almost every aspect of how football is played, coached, scouted and consumed. But it’s not the algorithms or new...

‘Innumerable gems . . . by one of the company's most astute observers’ - Economist THE UNVARNISHED PICTURE OF AMAZON’S UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH AND ITS BILLIONAIRE FOUNDER, JEFF BEZOS Almost ten years ago, Bloomberg journalist Brad Stone captured the rise of Amazon in his bestseller The Everything Store. Since then, Amazon has expanded exponentially, disrupting countless industries while its valuation has...

Nippon: Zaibatsu is a reimagined and updated 10th Anniversary edition of Nippon - a fast-paced area majority economic game about massive conglomerates of interconnected companies driving Japan's economy in the Industrial Revolution era. 1-4 players | 60-120 min | Ages 12+ During the game, players invest in new industries, build factories and railroads, and produce goods to saturate local markets...

HOW TO MASTER THE GAME OF FREQUENT FLYERS Some say that ‘earning’ and ‘burning’ frequent flyer points is the third most talked about topic at dinner parties and BBQs, after the weather and politics. And splitting points now features regularly in prenups and divorce settlements! Loyalty programs have been around for millennia, and with Australasia’s geographic location and migrant population,...

Sometimes the only way to be right is to get comfortable with being wrong. Most startup advice is dangerously misguided. The mythology of the lone genius founder, the obsession with capital raising, and the theatre of startup ecosystems lead countless ventures astray. Drawing on two decades at the heart of New Zealand's most successful technology companies – Trade Me, Xero,...

During World War II, the United States helped vanquish the Axis powers by converting its enormous economic capacities into military might. Producing nearly two-thirds of all the munitions used by Allied forces, American industry became what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called "the arsenal of democracy." Crucial in this effort were business leaders. Some of these captains of industry went to...

What do the economics of decolonisation mean for the future of Aotearoa? This question drives the work of Matthew Scobie and Anna Sturman as they explore the complex relationship between tangata whenua and capitalism. By weaving together historical insights and contemporary analysis, this Text reveals the enduring influence of Ma ori economies and illuminates how these perspectives could radically transform...

How do the rich keep getting richer, while dodging the long arm of the law? From playboy billionaires avoiding taxes on private islands to Russian oligarchs sailing away from sanctions on their superyachts, the ultra-rich seem to live in a different world from the rest of us. That world is called offshore. Hidden from view, the world's ultra-rich can use...

A sweeping, dramatic history of capitalism as seen through the eyes of its fiercest critics. At a time when we are faced with fundamental questions about the sustainability and morality of the economic system, Capitalism and Its Critics provides a kaleidoscopic history of global capitalism, from colonialism and the Industrial Revolution to the ecological crisis and artificial intelligence. John Cassidy...

Written during the winter of 1857-8, the Grundrisse was considered by Marx to be the first scientific elaboration of communist theory. A collection of seven notebooks on capital and money, it both develops the arguments outlined in the Communist Manifesto (1848) and explores the themes and theses that were to dominate his great later work Capital. Here, for the first...

'A historically insightful read' Financial Times 'A wry, rollicking, and provocative history' Michael Taylor, author of The Interest 'A thought-provoking analysis of Africa's relationship with economic imperialism' Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata, authors of It’s A Continent We need to think differently about African economics. For centuries, Westerners have tried to ‘fix’ African economies. From the abolition of slavery onwards,...

The essential writings of the 20th century's most influential economist, collected in one volume. John Maynard Keynes was the most influential economist, and one of the most influential thinkers, of the twentieth century. He overturned the orthodoxy that markets were optimally self-regulating, and instead argued for state intervention to ensure full employment and economic stability. The Essential Keynes is the...

The provocative historical work on social economy, demography and population control. An Essay on the Principle of Population and Other Writings is Malthus' seminal examination of human population and its dependency on food production and the environment, which was highly controversial upon its publication in 1798. He predicted what is now known as the Malthusian catastrophe, where humans would ignore...

FINANCIAL TIMES ECONOMICS BOOK OF THE YEAR 'An excellent book' Vince Cable | 'A must read' Jo Johnson | 'A fascinating read' Bill Dudley A timely manifesto on how digital currencies will win the New Cold War and the struggle for geopolitical supremacy in the twenty-first century. A New Cold War is underway. Whereas the first Cold War was dominated...

Invisible Women meets Doughnut Economics - An international bestseller from an exciting new voice in the feminist space. 'One of the most important feminist voices of the 21st century . . . The book about capitalism we didn't know we needed' - Sofie Hagen In 2020, Emma Holten read an article stating that women were a net 'deficit' to society....

F.I.A.S.C.O. is the best-selling account of Frank Partnoy's education in the jungle of high finance from 1993 to 1995. It follows the young Morgan Stanley salesman as he learns to navigate a marketplace where billions of dollars are made and lost in the creation and trading of derivatives, a type of security that almost nobody fully understands. Seen in relief...

The essential, must-read insider account of the West’s cat and mouse economic warfare against Russia and how it is changing the face of global trade. Magisterial and gripping’ Catherine Belton ‘A brilliant, engagingly written and timely book’ Owen Matthews Undeterred by eight years of timid US sanctions, Vladimir Putin ordered his full-scale assault on Ukraine on 24 February 2022. In...

In Why Stock Markets Crash, Didier Sornette delves into the intricate fabric of financial markets to unravel the mysterious mechanisms behind their sudden collapses. Departing from conventional theories that focus on immediate triggers, Sornette's groundbreaking work suggests a deeper, more complex process underpinning the inception of financial crises. He posits that these catastrophic events stem from a gradual build-up of...

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNERA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOKAN NPR BEST BOOKSelected by New York Times' critic Dwight Garner as a Favourite BookA Washington Post Best Political BookA New Republic Best Book American society is at a crossroads, and The Unwinding by George Packer offers a profound and intricate tapestry of this national turbulence. Without divulging...

In The Rise and Fall of American Growth, Robert J. Gordon provides a compelling chronicle of America's economic surge from 1870 to 1970—a century characterised by transformative innovations that dramatically elevated the quality of life for its citizens. Gordon delves into the profound shifts initiated by pivotal technological advancements such as electric lighting, indoor plumbing, motor vehicles, air travel, and...

The Price of Time by Edward Chancellor delves into the intricate history and pivotal role of interest rates in financial systems, providing a lucid analysis of the forces that shape our global economy. Chancellor, acclaimed as one of the world's foremost financial writers, traces the origins of interest from ancient times to the present day, illustrating how this fundamental economic...

The fascinating world of youth-driven movements and their profound impact on society come alive in The Pirate's Dilemma by Matt Mason. This insightful book takes readers on a whirlwind journey through the evolution of youth culture, exploring pivotal trends that started with the punk revolution and expanded through hip-hop, rave, graffiti, and gaming. As these subcultures intersected with the digital...

The Myth of Capitalism tells the story of how America has transitioned from an open, competitive marketplace to an economy where a few very powerful companies dominate key industries that affect our daily lives. Digital monopolies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon act as gatekeepers to the digital world. Amazon captures almost all online shopping dollars. We have the illusion of...

Appointed president of the World Bank in 1995, James Wolfensohn arrived with a whirlwind of energy and a vision to reinvent the institution founded by Franklin Roosevelt and his World War II allies. In The World's Banker by Sebastian Mallaby, readers are taken through an enthralling narrative of how Wolfensohn's dynamic leadership transformed the World Bank's approach to global development....

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, critical attention has shifted from the economy to the most fundamental feature of all market economies—money. Yet despite the centrality of political struggles over money, it remains difficult to articulate its democratic possibilities and limits. The Currency of Politics takes readers from ancient Greece to today to provide an intellectual history of...

Oil, Power, and War by Matthieu Auzanneau is a gripping and meticulous exploration of the intricate relationship between oil and global history. Spanning over 150 years, this compelling narrative delves into how oil has shaped historical events, fuelled economic growth, spurred political decisions, and incited military conflicts. The story is one of hubris, fortune, betrayal, and destruction, tracing the rise...

Money Changes Everything by William N. Goetzmann is a captivating journey through the intricate history of finance, demonstrating how its evolution has shaped our world in profound ways. Goetzmann takes readers on a chronological tour, showing that finance is not merely an abstract or modern concept but a critical element that has consistently driven the advancement of civilisations. From the...

The End of Alchemy by Mervyn King takes readers on an insightful journey through the complexities and intricacies of the financial systems that govern our world. King, with his vast experience and insider knowledge, delves deep into the history of economic ideas, presenting a thorough analysis of recent financial crises while proposing innovative solutions to safeguard the future of the...

One of The New York Times's 33 Nonfiction Books to Read This Fall | Named a most anticipated fall book by the Chicago Tribune The first full biography of America's most renowned economist. Milton Friedman was, alongside John Maynard Keynes, the most influential economist of the twentieth century. His work was instrumental in the turn toward free markets that defined...

The Great Deformation by David Stockman offers a penetrating analysis of American economic history and its disorienting trajectory over the past eight decades. Through a compelling narrative, Stockman unravels the intricate web of political and economic decisions that have shaped the United States into what he terms a 'crony capitalist' state. The book meticulously examines the bipartisan abandonment of fiscal...

The Deals that Made the World by Jacques Peretti delves into the clandestine manoeuvrings that profoundly affect our daily lives. Instead of politicians and headlines, the author shifts our focus to a select few individuals whose off-the-record agreements shape the very fabric of our society. These covert negotiations touch on every aspect of our existence, from the money we use,...

'An important book' Martin Wolf, Financial Times (BOOK OF THE YEAR) The clear-eyed, definitive history of the modern American economy and the decline of the American Dream, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist behind The New York Times's "The Morning" newsletter. Two decades into the twenty-first century, the stagnation of living standards has become the defining trend of American life. Life...

Based on the series produced for the BBC World Service In Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy, Tim Harford delves into the intriguing stories behind the everyday inventions and ideas that have shaped our world. From the use of paper money to the revolutionary impact of the contraceptive pill on the legal profession, Harford reveals the pivotal moments and...