It is an achievement to piece together so many bodies of knowledge into a coherent, grand story. The seeming intent of the story-telling is also laudable - to debunk theories of superior race (to put it much more bluntly than the author does). At this scale of conception, the book was bound to sport the blemish of a few sweeping generalisations. A few supplementary readings of critiques of this work, are also therefore recommended. 'Why Nations Fail', by Acemoglu and Robinson immediately comes to mind.
