The Chosen Few: How Education Shaped Jewish History, 70-1492 (The Princeton Economic History of the Western World Book 42)

The Chosen Few: How the Jewish People Went from Farmers to Merchants is a groundbreaking book that offers a fresh perspective on one of the most significant transformations in Jewish history.

Maristella Botticini and Zvi Eckstein provide a powerful new explanation for how the Jewish people went from being illiterate farmers to literate urbanites specializing in crafts, trade, moneylending, and medicine across hundreds of places in the Old World.

The authors' innovative approach combines economic analysis with historical facts to offer fresh insights into the growing debate about the social and economic impact of religion.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the fascinating history of the Jewish people and their remarkable transformation over the past 15 centuries.