book
The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy
Kenneth Pomeranz's argument that around 1750 the Yangzi delta was as commercial, productive and well-off as England — and that Europe pulled ahead thanks to accessible coal and the land and resources of the Americas, not superior culture or institutions. The book that set the terms of the 'why Europe?' debate for a generation; read it against Why Nations Fail.
