The Scheidel review is worth reading, though it’s rather hurried. Their argument is quite complex and sometimes a bit fuzzy, and the book has a lot of detail; I think it’ll take some time for academics to chew through it and understand exactly what’s at stake.
Other academic reviews I’ve read haven’t been great—the typical stuff has been “how can they ignore [my narrow narrow subfield]”.
The Scheidel review is worth reading, though it’s rather hurried. Their argument is quite complex and sometimes a bit fuzzy, and the book has a lot of detail; I think it’ll take some time for academics to chew through it and understand exactly what’s at stake.
Other academic reviews I’ve read haven’t been great—the typical stuff has been “how can they ignore [my narrow narrow subfield]”.