Randall Holcombe is DeVoe Moore Professor of Economics at Florida State University. Economic historian David Landes explains in this book why some nations are rich and some poor by appealing to the historical record. The history is fascinating, and Landes does a good job of relating the facts.
pocket source: https://fee.org/articles/the-wealth-and-poverty-of-nations-why-some-are-so-rich-and-some-so-poor-by-david-s-landes/