Eco-friendly options
We ship using recycled materials and reduce packaging waste.
Fast delivery
We partner with the largest delivery companies to ensure your order arrives quickly.
Description
xThere are 17 ingredients in a typical tube of toothpaste, from titanium dioxide to xanthum gum, and that's not counting the tube. Everything had to come from somewhere and someone had to bring it all together. The humblest household product reveals a web of enterprise that stretches around the globe.
More is the story of how we spun that web. It begins with the earliest glimmerings of long-distance trade - obsidian blades that made their way from what is now Turkey to the Iran-Iraq border 7,000 years before Christ - and ends with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. On such a grand scale, quirks of historical perspective leap out: futures contracts and commercial branding are among the many seemingly modern components of the global economy have existed since ancient times. Yet it was only in the 18th century that a cascade of innovations began to drive up prosperity in a lasting way around the world.
To piece this fascinating saga together, Philip Coggan takes the reader inside medieval cottages and hi-tech hydroponic farms, prehistoric Chinese burial mounds and modern central banks. At every step of our journey, he finds that it was connections between people that created our wealth. Will the same openness continue to serve us in the 21st century?
Shipping and Returns
xReturn Policy
All products are subject to our return and exchange policy with the exception of: books, electronics, video games, and prepaid cards; unless they do not meet the standard specifications. For categories not mentioned, you can return any product you purchased from us within 14 days from the date of order without asking any questions. Please contact us to inform us of your desire and we will provide you with our warehouse address. You can also visit any of the Afaq Bookstore branches in Kuwait, Qatar or London to return your order, provided that you have the order invoice.
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of your delivery of the package to the shipping company. However, in many cases you will receive your refund sooner. This time frame includes the time it takes for the return to reach us (5-10 business days), the time it takes to process the return once it is received (3-5 business days), and the time it takes for your bank to process the refund request (5-10 business days).
shipping
We ship to any address worldwide. If you are located in the UK, you should expect to receive your order within 24-48 hours, if you are outside the UK, you should expect to receive your order within 2-8 working days.
When you place an order, we will provide you with shipping and delivery time estimates based on the availability of your products and the shipping options you have selected. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping time estimates may appear on the Shipping Offers page.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.