A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World Audiobook

" This is an excellent book.It is hard to put it down. Even though it has a lot of information in every page,it is so well written that it makes for easy and pleasant reading "

" - nice mixture of history and the undeniable logic of trade "

" Interesting information, a little dry reading. "

" This was a general history of the positive role of trade in human society. It is not a specialist view and the author has read considerable amount of material. He does a good job in bringing it together and wisely chooses to tone down his treatment after the 19th century - the high tide of free trade. I found this the most interesting in the discussion of the development of trade in the Indian Ocean in the middle ages and after the West moved in. He doesn't talk enough about politics, yet that is absolutely crucial for the spread of "free trade". If you haven't read a lot of history, this will be a lot to digest - as it is even if you have read a lot of history. I like more specialist accounts, such as Findlay and O'Rourke's Power and Plenty. This was OK, however, and made me appreciate the Findlay book when I read it. I read the Bernstein book while at the beach in New Jersey and it fit well there. "

" Fascinating history of trade throughout the centuries. Pretty good defense of free trade, although the author's liberalism (not in the classical sense) gets the best of him in the last chapter and he goes all wishy-washy. "

" Nice, readable history of world trade. I was expecting more about the Roman empire - but I guess not much trade occurs when you can just take things :) - "

" A simply fascinating walk through history with an eye on trade. Occasionally I did feel the author wondered off into less meaningful details BUT the whole is mightier than the parts, and the big picture is so huge and so very very interesting! "

" I learned how trade developed and spread among ancient civilizations "

" ok. a little bit too disconnected for me. Had a hard time caring about all these tiny little stories for the majority of the book. I thought there would be more, I don't know, analysis, and fewer anecdotes. "

" A splendid book, a must for anyone interested in world economic history. Written with a vision, with a consistent narrative, the book's scope is amazing. "

" Nice book about trade through the ages. "

" A great, insightful read. "

" Wish this were twice as long. Bursting with information clearly put forward. "

" Excellent. I was very surprised to so enjoy a book about the history of international trade. "

" Interesting discussion of trade as a major motivator for change in world history. As a result, many historical events, such as the American Revolution, take on an unfamiliar form. You may not entirely accept the viewpoint, but the premises are worth considering. "

" long, interesting tidbits along the way. "

" The subtitle sumarizes it. Insightfull. Only criticizm is of the final chapter which seems confused. The author seeks to make a point about free trade that does not flow from the earlier chapters or the facts offered in his conclusion. "

" Part of my reshaping World History and will prove vaulable. "

" Hands down my favorite book to lend to people. By focusing on trade routes through history, this manages to tell the story of humanity in the terms that I find most powerful and exciting: the rise and fall of human desires. "

" A colourful and vivid account of the history of trade around the world. "

" Very entertaining and readable. I learned a lot. "

" Nice analysis of how trade shaped the political maps of the world! "

" - nice mixture of history and the undeniable logic of trade "

" Introduced me to the Stolper-Samuelson theorem, which predicts that "protection benefit[s] those who predominantly own[] a relatively scarce factor and harm[s] those who own a relatively abundant one." Also includes one of the best examples of comparative advantage that I have read. "

" Great history of trade, from the ancient Sumerians straight through to the WTO Doha Round. Plenty of interesting tidbits along the way. "

" Wish this were twice as long. Bursting with information clearly put forward. "

" ok. a little bit too disconnected for me. Had a hard time caring about all these tiny little stories for the majority of the book. I thought there would be more, I don't know, analysis and fewer anecdotes. "

" History of international trade from prehistory to the early 2000s, very engagingly written and with good maps. Perhaps a bit too quick to assume that the general assumption of economists that free trade is the best policy, but does acknowledge that there are actual losers from open markets. "

" This is an excellent book.It is hard to put it down. Even though it has a lot of information in every page,it is so well written that it makes for easy and pleasant reading "

" If you have an interest in the history of trade and commerce, it's fascinating - a more detailed version of Niall Ferguson's "Ascent of Money," but more interested in commodities and the flow of goods rather than the flow of money "

" long, interesting tidbits along the way. "

" I learned how trade developed and spread among ancient civilizations "