Second to none
The second edition of Our Long Walk to Economic Freedom is now available in South Africa
The second edition of Our Long Walk to Economic Freedom is available today.
What can readers expect from this revised, fully updated version?
If you read the first edition, published in South Africa in 2021, you’ll find an additional 12,000 words in this expanded edition. This includes three entirely new chapters, along with significant updates to several existing chapters. What are those three new chapters about?
How did long-distance trade transform early societies? What role did geography play in shaping civilisations? Why did cities like Memphis emerge as hubs of innovation and power? These are the questions I explore in the new Chapter 4, Who Built the Pyramids? Trade and the Rise of Cities. Frustrated by the lack of attention to ancient civilisations in the first edition, especially Egypt, I wanted this chapter to plug that gap. I draw on recent archaeological and economic research to show how trade networks, specialisation and the strategic management of resources spurred the development of urban centres and the construction of monuments like the pyramids.
Then, war. What motivates societies to go to war, and how does conflict reshape economies? What lessons can history teach us about the long-term impacts of war? And why does war remain such a pivotal force in our world today? These are the questions addressed in the updated Chapter 22, Who is the Perfect Soldier? The Causes and Consequences of the Second World War. Initially published in the 2022 Cambridge University Press edition, this chapter has also been significantly revised. With the state of the world today, it is a timely discussion that examines how war disrupts, transforms, and, paradoxically, can fuel economic growth in unexpected ways.
Thirdly, a new chapter 25, Why Should We Thank Neil Armstrong for Our Daily Bread? The Green Revolution. Here, I wanted to address two significant gaps in the first edition: the extraordinary innovation of hybrid grains, which transformed agriculture and alleviated hunger for millions, and the marvels of space exploration, which continue to inspire and drive technological advancement. Both are potent reminders of humanity’s capacity to innovate and adapt, with profound implications for the century to come.
Why a second edition so soon after the first? There are two reasons: First, the first edition sold out last year, requiring a new print run or a new edition. Second, having already published an international edition with CUP, with one new chapter, I thought it best to revise and update the manuscript, including 2023 rather than 2019 statistics.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, the field of economic history has made incredible progress in the last four years, which made some first-edition chapters obsolete. In this version, I try to show this progress. Here is a quote from Chapter 3, for example:
Why did hunter-gatherers switch to farming, then, if their lives did not materially improve?
Until now (and in earlier versions of this book), our only answer had been climate change. The timing of this shift correlates with the end of the last Ice Age: as sea levels rose because of warmer climate, the argument goes, access to animals they were hunting or the fruits they were gathering had dwindled. In order to survive, people had to find an alternative source of sustenance. Grains such as wheat and barley offered one.
But…
This perfectly illustrates my point in Chapter 2: ‘the scientific process, though often slow and frustrating, steadily advances our understanding of the world.’ With the rapid advances in our methods of analysis, perhaps the scientific process, even in the field of history, is not as slow as I once thought.
The book is now available on Loot and will be on Takealot next week. So, spread the word – share the news on social media or around the braai. Importantly, ask your local bookshop to stock it! And make sure to get one for your best friend, your worst enemy, or that relative who insists aliens built the pyramids.
The first ten paid subscribers to Our Long Walk in 2025 will each receive a signed copy of Our Long Walk to Economic Freedom. There are only four left. Sign up for an annual paid subscription to claim your copy. (If you are a paid member already, consider a gift subscription.) ‘Second to none’ was first published on Our Long Walk. The images were created with Midjourney v6.
Dankie Johan, dit klink na 'n goeie vooruitsig. Ek bestel graag die boek aanlyn maar wil ook 5 boeke aankoop vir kliënte geskenke. Ek's van 6 - 9 Februarie in Stellenbosch en bly in die Stellenbosch Hotel - kan ek jou daar stiek vir koffie/ontbyt om o.a. dié 5 boeke te teken? Dan kan ons ook 'n vinnige geselsie aanknoop as dit OK is met jou?
Groete,
Renier Holtzhausen
rholtzhausen@anchorcapital.co.za
0832726970