Kyle Harrison
to-read
In Pursuit of Leviathan
In Pursuit of Leviathan: Technology, Institutions, Productivity, and Profits in American Whaling, 1816-1906
- Author
- Lance E. Davis, Robert E. Gallman and Karin Gleiter
- Published
- 1997
- Pages
- 550
- Recommended
- Once
Why it’s on the list: A quantitative economic history of American whaling — the lay system, the agents, the productivity of the fleet — and the standard case study in how a high-risk extractive industry organised its capital and labour.
Where I saw it: A reply to @typesfast’s question on X, June 5, 2025 — “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” — recovered from that thread and saved to Kyle’s Apple Note “Books To Read”. Thread: https://x.com/typesfast/status/1930617097068912787
Distinct from Leviathan, the Hobbes card already in the anti-library.