ENEMY OF ALL MANKIND

How the global manhunt for the world's most notorious pirate sparked the modern era of multinational capitalism, from the New York Times-bestselling author of The Ghost Map and How We Got to Now.

Henry Avery was the seventeenth century's most notorious pirate. The press published wildly popular--and wildly inaccurate--reports of his nefarious adventures. The British government offered enormous bounties for his capture, alive or (preferably) dead. But Steven Johnson argues that Avery's most lasting legacy was his inadvertent triggering of a new model for the global economy. ENEMY OF ALL MANKIND focuses on one key event--the attack of an Indian treasure ship by Avery and his crew--and its surprising repercussions across time and space.

Johnson uses the extraordinary story of Henry Avery and his crimes to explore the emergence of the modern global marketplace: a densely interconnected planet ruled by nations and corporations. Like the bestselling HOW WE GOT TO NOW and THE GHOST MAP, ENEMY OF ALL MANKIND crosses disciplinary boundaries to recount its history: the chemistry behind the invention of gunpowder; the innovations in navigation that enabled the age of exploration; the cultural history of pirates; the biographical history of Avery and his crew; the rise of the Moghul dynasty; and the commercial ambition of the East India Company.

Most confrontations like this one, viewed from the wide angle of history, are minor disputes, sparks that quickly die out. But every now and then, someone strikes a match that lights up the whole planet. Johnson deftly traces the path of that conflagration in this compelling work of history and ideas.

Steven Johnson is the bestselling author of twelve books, including Where Good Ideas Come From, Farsighted, and The Ghost Map. He's the host and co-creator of the Emmy-winning PBS/BBC series "How We Got To Now," and the host of the podcast American Innovations. He lives in Brooklyn and Marin County, California with his wife and three sons.