From the bestselling author of How Economics Shape Our World, a brisk history of how innovation is cultivated and its influence on everything from art to AI

Scientists, economists, and historians are always looking into the past in order make informed decisions about how to improve our future. Though our modern-day innovations are often mind-boggling (gene editing and fabricated ecosystems come to mind), they would not exist without their predecessors—someone had to invent the wheel.

In The Shortest History of Innovation, bestselling author Andrew Leigh tells the story of human innovation by identifying three of its most essential driving forces: tinkering, teams, and trade. Unveiling the surprising linchpins behind the everyday innovations that we take for granted, Leigh takes a closer look at the myriad ways ideas are developed, the forces that suppress them, and how they travel and evolve across borders and disciplines. 

From technologies and tools to art and feats of engineering, innovation is everywhere. Drawing on his background as an economist and his experience as a decision-maker in Australia’s House of Representatives, Leigh revisits history with fresh eyes and deftly connects it to the rapid innovation taking place today. The result is a lively, compact look at the engines powering progress.