Fifty Inventions that Shaped the Modern Economy by Tim Harford

It took me a couple of weeks to get into this book – somehow I read the introduction and wasn't hooked.  Then I had to decide whether to renew it or just take it back and so I dove into the first chapter and was then hooked.

So my advice is to skip the introduction.  The author is a journalist as well as an economist and his talent is being able to deal with topics in an entertaining and quick way.

The book is divided into 7 sections with 50 inventions being split between them. Each chapter is short and interesting.  The inventions range over all sorts of things – like the Gramophone, Google, Passports, Video Games, Batteries etc etc.

I was intrigued by how much effect some seemingly straightforward innovation had on our everyday lives – and not always in the way you would expect.

If you are a curious person give this a go.  Or you could listen to  the BBC radio programme that he did on the same subject.