“Smith [writes] lucidly and with a remarkable command of detail.”— Linda Colley, Financial Times

“A timely, eloquent, compelling examination of an increasingly thorny question.”—Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain

“In a contested and congested field, Edmond Smith has produced a thoroughly researched and original work which offers a much-needed global perspective on Britain’s rise in the eighteenth century. Ruthless is gripping and entertaining. What is more, it is clear and deftly written—a real joy to read.”—Emma Griffin, author of Liberty’s Dawn: A People’s History of the Industrial Revolution

“Engagingly written and brilliantly researched, Edmond Smith delivers a superb account of Britain’s integration of national productivity and international domination. Smith shows us both the architects of this process and, crucially, those it ruthlessly cast aside.”—William Pettigrew, author of Freedom’s Debt: The Royal African Company and the Politics of the Atlantic Slave Trade

“Smith brings alive a Britain brimming with economic activity. Peering through the windows of London's coffee houses and Manchester's factories, they guide us engagingly through the country's heyday of relentless expansion.”—Anton Howes, author of Arts and Minds: How the Royal Society of Arts Changed a Nation

“A panoramic new history that reveals how industry, empire, inventiveness and ruthlessness made Britain ‘great.’ A must read for anyone who wants to understand the birth of the world’s first modern economy.”—Nicholas Radburn, author of Traders in Men: Merchants and the Transformation of the Transatlantic Slave Trade