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Economica
A Financial Times Best Book of 2025
Brief Description
'Erudite, ambitious and richly global in scope' - PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk Roads 'This book sets a new standard in economic history' - TIM HARFORD, author of How To Make the World Add Up How many times have we been told that the working...
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Economica
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See moreA groundbreaking economic history of the world told through stories of the forgotten women who powered it.
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Description
'Erudite, ambitious and richly global in scope' - PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk Roads
'This book sets a new standard in economic history' - TIM HARFORD, author of How To Make the World Add Up
How many times have we been told that the working woman is a modern phenomenon? That men were responsible for the prosperity of humanity? That women's production was, for much of human history, confined to reproduction?
Economica shows that women have always been at the heart of economic progress, as entrepreneurs, merchants and industrialists - from Phryne, the richest woman in Ancient Athens, to Ching Shih, a sex-worker turned pirate who controlled trade in the South China Sea. Author Victoria Bateman also highlights the amazing stories of female workers who built the Pyramids, traded on the Silk Road and dominated London's medieval breweries.
Spanning the past twelve millennia, from the Stone Age to the present day, Economica rewrites our understanding of women's role in the economy, and tells a more accurate history of us all.
'Victoria Bateman's revelatory and compelling new book puts women at the very heart of mankind's economic history. Economica should help ensure that's where they will remain' - BEN CHU, BBC 'A must-read for anyone interested in women's history and economic justice' - AMANDA FOREMAN, author of Georgiana and A World on FireBook Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781035415816
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 02 July 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Headline Press
Illustration: 1x8 page picture section
Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 36.0mm
Width: 128.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 320g
Pages: 432
About the Author
Victoria Bateman is author of the critically acclaimed Naked Feminism: Breaking the Cult of Female Modesty and The Sex Factor: How Women Made the West Rich. She is resident economic historian on the BBC Radio 4 series Understand: The Economy and acts as a historical consultant to a major television production company. She has taught at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, including as Director of Studies in Economics and Lecturer in Economic History. Victoria has been profiled by The Times and Daily Mail, has written for national and international press, including the Guardian, i, Telegraph and Bloomberg, and has appeared on numerous occasions on radio and television. Victoria is the winner of the 2026 Hajnal Prize for Excellence in Economic History.
Also by Victoria Bateman
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Economica
THE UNTOLD STORY OF HOW WOMEN MADE THE WORLD WEALTHY Humanity's journey from poverty to prosperity is filled with men who have become household names. But how many female entrepreneurs, merchants, and industrialists can you name? Economica places women at the centre of the story of economic growth. Starting in the Stone Age and continuing to the present day, it...Paperback$3600Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Sex Factor
Why did the West become so rich? Why is inequality rising? How ‘free’ should markets be? And what does sex have to do with it? In this passionate and skilfully argued book, leading feminist Victoria Bateman shows how we can only understand the burning economic issues of our time if we put sex and gender – ‘the sex factor’ –...Paperback$4099Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Naked Feminism
Is it right that, despite the promises of feminism, women’s bodies remain at the mercy of state, society and religion? Should a scantily clad woman, or a promiscuous one, be worth less than a fully covered woman, or a chaste one? Are being sexy and being smart really mutually exclusive? Can a woman be both body and brain? Victoria Bateman...Hardback$5999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks
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