Overview

""Most confrontations, viewed from the wide angle of history, are minor disputes, sparks that quickly die out. But every now and then, someone strikes a match that lights up the whole planet."" ""Thoroughly engrossing . . . a spirited, suspenseful, economically told tale whose significance is manifest and whose pace never flags."" -The Wall Street Journal From TheNew York Times-bestselling author ofThe Ghost MapandExtra Life, the story of a pirate who changed the world Henry Every was the seventeenth century's most notorious pirate. The press published wildly popular-and wildly inaccurate-reports of his nefarious adventures. The British government offered enormous bounties for his capture, alive or (preferably) dead. But Steven Johnson argues that Every's most lasting legacy was his inadvertent triggering of a major shift in the global economy. Enemy of All Mankind focuses on one key event-the attack on an Indian treasure ship by Every and his crew-and its surprising repercussions across time and space. It's the gripping tale of one of the most lucrative crimes in history, the first international manhunt, and the trial of the seventeenth century. Johnson uses the extraordinary story of Henry Every and his crimes to explore the emergence of the East India Company, the British Empire, and the modern global marketplace- a densely interconnected planet ruled by nations and corporations. How did this unlikely pirate and his notorious crime end up playing a key role in the birth of multinational capitalism? In the same mode as Johnson's classic nonfiction historical thriller The Ghost Map, Enemy of All Mankind deftly traces the path from a single struck match to a global conflagration.

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9780735211605

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Praise for Steven Johnson and his books: A maven of the history of ideas. --The Guardian A deep thinker and gifted storyteller. --The New York Times Book Review Mr. Johnson's erudition can be quite gobsmacking. --The Wall Street Journal Steven Johnson gives us history at its best: colorful, connected and compelling. . . . The Ghost Map is a masterpiece of historical writing. --The Seattle Times Johnson's writing derives its appeal from his ability to illuminate complex ideas in unpretentious language. . . . [his] prose is nimble, his knowledge impressive. --San Francisco Chronicle Johnson is a polymath. . . . [It's] exhilarating to follow his unpredictable trains of thought. To explain why some ideas upend the world, he draws upon many disciplines: chemistry, social history, even ecosystem science. --Los Angeles Times

Praise for Steven Johnson and his books: A maven of the history of ideas. --The Guardian A deep thinker and gifted storyteller. --The New York Times Book Review Mr. Johnson's erudition can be quite gobsmacking. --The Wall Street Journal Steven Johnson gives us history at its best: colorful, connected and compelling. . . . The Ghost Map is a masterpiece of historical writing. --The Seattle Times Johnson's writing derives its appeal from his ability to illuminate complex ideas in unpretentious language. . . . [his] prose is nimble, his knowledge impressive. --San Francisco Chronicle Johnson is a polymath. . . . [It's] exhilerating to follow his unpredictable trains of thought. To explain why some ideas upend the world, he draws upon many disciplines: chemistry, social history, even ecosystm science. --Los Angeles Times

Author Information

Steven Johnson is the bestselling author of thirteen books, including Where Good Ideas Come From, How We Got to Now, The Ghost Map, and Extra Life. He's the host and cocreator of the Emmy-winning PBS/BBC series How We Got to Now, the host of the podcast The TED Interview, and the author of the newsletter Adjacent Possible. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, and Marin County, California, with his wife and three sons.

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