Economica by Victoria Bateman

Economica by Victoria Bateman

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2025, as chosen by Martin Wolf

'Economica is an epic story . . . an important retelling of global economic history that puts women at the centre . . . Bateman is a great storyteller . . . a rare, long-term perspective on gender equality' - Financial Times

'This book sets a new standard in economic history' - TIM HARFORD, author of How To Make the World Add Up

'Erudite, ambitious and richly global in scope' - PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk Roads

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 takes the reader through the key economic milestones of the past twelve millennia - from the birth of farming to the advent of computing - all told through the experiences of women as well as men.

Historian Victoria Bateman weaves a thrilling, globe-spanning narrative that proves women weren't 'missing' from economic life, they were merely hidden from view. We discover the female workers who helped to build the Great Pyramid of Giza, and to plumb the city of ancient Rome; the silk weavers who made a vital contribution to the development of the Silk Road and global trade; the women who dominated London's brewing trade during medieval times; and the brave twentieth-century pioneers who fought to make our economies not just richer but fairer.

Economica rewrites our understanding of women's role in the economy, and tells a more accurate economic history of us all.

'A must-read for anyone interested in women's history and economic justice' - AMANDA FOREMAN, author of Georgiana and A World on Fire

The economic history of that half of humankind has broken out of its ghettoThe time has come for Victoria Bateman's comprehensive stocktaking-of how women figured in the economy, from the caves to the computers. And the time has come for you to read it. -- Professor Deirdre McCloskey

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.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781035415779
ISBN 10	1035415771
Title	Economica
Author	Victoria Bateman
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Headline Publishing Group
Year published	2025-08-28
Number of pages	448
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.