Praise for the book

This is the first book to bring Africa in from the margins and place it centrally into the big narratives of world economic history. The subject will never be the same again.

– James Robinson, University of Chicago and 2024 Nobel laureate

Johan Fourie’s commitment to understanding the historical roots of prosperity and ensuring its wide distribution in the future makes this one of the most humane economic histories I have read.

– Anne McCants, MIT

In a brilliant tour de force, Johan Fourie turns history on its head and tells the story of the world economy from the perspective of Africa. A must read.

– Jan Luiten van Zanden, Utrecht University

Johan Fourie demonstrates that recent research in economic history can be both enlightening and fun.

– Joel Mokyr, Northwestern University

This book is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand the forces, processes and trends which shaped the trajectory of the lived human experience in the past 100,000 years.

– Alois Mlambo, University of Pretoria

The future of Africa is bright. Fourie’s brilliant account shows why.

– Deirdre McCloskey, University of Illinois at Chicago

One of the most impressive books I have ever read.

– JP Landman, political analyst

An ambitious and refreshingly accessible jaunt through the economic history of the world, told from a South African perspective.

– Leigh A. Gardner, LSE