The Land Trap: A New History of the World's Oldest Asset

The Land Trap: A New History of the World's Oldest AssetHow the worlds oldest asset secretly shapes our modern economy In The Land Trap, Mike BirdWall Street editor at The Economistreveals how this ancient asset still exerts outsize influence over the modern world. From the speculative land grabs of colonial America to China's real estate crisis today, Bird shows how fortunes are builtand destroyedon the bedrock of land. Tracing three centuries of history, Bird explores how land quietly became the linchpin

How the world’s oldest asset secretly shapes our modern economy

In The Land Trap, Mike Bird—Wall Street editor at The Economist—reveals how this ancient asset still exerts outsize influence over the modern world. From the speculative land grabs of colonial America to China's real estate crisis today, Bird shows how fortunes are built—and destroyed—on the bedrock of land.

Tracing three centuries of history, Bird explores how land quietly became the linchpin of the global banking system, driving everything from soaring housing prices to rising geopolitical tensisons. As governments wrestle with inequality and land grows ever scarcer, The Land Trap offers a powerful new framework for understanding the hidden force behind today's most urgent challenges.

This is the book for anyone who wants to see beyond markets and money to the real game being played on a foundation as old as civilization itself. Timely, provocative, and essential, The Land Trap will change how you see the ground beneath your feet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Bird is the Wall Street editor for The Economist, leading coverage of topics across the American financial industry and contributing to coverage of finance globally. He also cohosts the financial podcast Money Talks. Previously, he was a financial columnist and market reporter at The Wall Street Journal. Bird studied history and politics at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is currently based in New York City.