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The Land Trap

A New History of the World's Oldest Asset

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The Land Trap

By: Mike Bird
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About this listen

Our obsession with land is the driving force behind human history. It has sparked revolutions and fueled economic booms as well as financial crises. Land is the world's oldest and most important asset, and it governs the course of our lives more than any other form of wealth. But this immense power is also what makes it so dangerous.

In The Land Trap, The Economist's Wall Street editor Mike Bird reveals a sweeping, global history that shows how fortunes have been built - or destroyed - all on the bedrock of land. It has become the linchpin of the world's banking system and it affects everything from soaring housing prices to geopolitical tensions. From the speculative land grabs of colonial America to China's modern-day real estate crisis, this gripping narrative shows how the economics of land can make and break families, businesses, and even entire nations.

This is the book for anyone who wants to see beyond markets and money to the hidden game being played out on the ground beneath our feet.

©2025 Mike Bird (P)2025 Hachette Book Group Audio
Civilisation Economic History Economics World
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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.