THE LAND TRAP

This is the story of the world's oldest and most valuable asset and how it has sparked revolutions, fueled huge economic booms, and led to the worst financial crises in history: Land.

This vivid account shows how land came to assume the central role in the global banking system and in the finances of ordinary households and businesses around the world, all of which gives it a pivotal role in global politics.

With attributes that make it profoundly different to other assets and goods, land is the missing puzzle piece in the popular understanding of how modern economies work.

This book places land at the epicentre of the global economy, and contemporary business, politics, and history, and shows that our most ancient asset remains to this day the hidden factor determining economic failure and success for individuals, companies and entire nations.

This is for readers of Liaquat Ahamed and Niall Ferguson, Jared Diamond and Thomas Piketty, as well as Mark Kurlansky. The topic is evergreen but also timely, as China's housing market -which forms one part of the book- is teetering on the edge of implosion, an event that would send shockwaves through the global economy.

Mike Bird is an award-winning journalist, currently based in Singapore as the Asia Business and Finance Editor for The Economist. Previously he reported for Wall Street Journal and was based in London and Hong Kong.