The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is David S. Landes s acclaimed best-selling exploration of one of the most contentious and hotly debated questions of our time: Why do some nations achieve economic success while others remain mired in poverty? The answer as Landes definitively illustrates is a complex interplay of cultural mores and historical circumstance. Rich with anecdotal evidence piercing analysis and a truly astonishing range of erudition The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is a picture of enormous sweep and brilliant insight (Kenneth Arrow) as well as one of the most audaciously ambitious works of history in decades.