Thomas Sowell. Conquests and Cultures: An International History. New York, Basic Books, 1999.

Focusing on four major cultural areas, this meticulously researched book reveals patterns of human behavior that help explain the role of cultural evolution in economic, social, and political development. "Sowell writes with grace and clarity." ―Washington Post Conquests and Cultures is the culmination of 15 years of research and travels that have taken the author completely around the world twice, as well as on other travels in the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and around the Pacific rim. Its purpose has been to try to understand the role of cultural differences within nations and between nations, today and over centuries of history, in shaping the economic and social fates of peoples and of whole civilizations.