About the Author

Matt Ridley received his BA and D Phil at Oxford researching the evolution of behaviour. He has been science editor, Washington correspondent and American editor of The Economist. He has a regular column in the Daily Telegraph. He is also the author of The Red Queen (1993), The Origins of Virtue (1996) and Genome (1999). Matt Ridley is currently the chairman of The International Centre for Life.

Reviews

‘A triumphant blast on the vuvuzela of common sense’ Boris Johnson ‘A glorious defence of our species… a devastating rebuke to humanity's self-haters’ Sunday Times ‘No other book has argued with such brilliance against the automatic pessimism that prevails’ Ian McEwan ‘His theory is, in a way, the glorious offspring that would result if Charles Darwin’s ideas were mated with those of Adam Smith’ The Economist ‘Original, clever and controversial’ Guardian ‘As a work of bold historical positivity it is to be welcomed. At every point cheerfulness keeps breaking through’ The Times

'A triumphant blast on the vuvuzela of common sense' Boris Johnson

'A glorious defence of our species... a devastating rebuke to humanity's self-haters' Sunday Times

'No other book has argued with such brilliance against the automatic pessimism that prevails' Ian McEwan

'His theory is, in a way, the glorious offspring that would result if Charles Darwin's ideas were mated with those of Adam Smith' The Economist

'Original, clever and controversial' Guardian

'As a work of bold historical positivity it is to be welcomed. At every point cheerfulness keeps breaking through' The Times

Ridley comes to praise innovation's ability to forestall any number of doom and gloom scenarios, everything from climate change to economic catastrophe. While sounding strikingly similar to narrator Anthony Heald, L.J. Ganser keeps a steady reading pace of Ridley's prose that keeps listeners engaged through the more challenging quantified material (statistics, data, lists) and the more nuanced conceptual material. His escalation, speed, deliberation, and pauses faithfully guide listeners through the text and at times improves upon the dry prose. However, Ganser is prone to over-project, and his forceful overemphasis can wear on the listener's attention. A Harper hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 12). (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.