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The Economist

The Economist Books of the Year 2012

The Economist Books of the Year 2012 names 55 books across 7 categories. 19 of them also won or were shortlisted for an award.

Biography and memoir

  1. Bertie: A Life of Edward VII by Jane Ridleysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Every Love Story is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace by D.T. Maxsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Ivory, Apes & Peacocks: Animals, Adventure and Discovery in the Wild Places of Africa by Alan Rootsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdiesource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Raffles and the Golden Opportunity by Victoria Glendinningsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orleansource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson—Volume 4 by Robert Carosource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Pinecone: The Story of Sarah Losh, Forgotten Romantic Heroine—Antiquarian, Architect and Visionary by Jenny Uglowsource (opens in a new tab)
  9. The Richard Burton Diaries by Chris Williamssource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Thomas Hobbes: Leviathan by Noel Malcolmsource (opens in a new tab)
  11. Titian: His Life by Sheila Halesource (opens in a new tab)
  12. Wanted Women: Faith, Lies and the War on Terror—The Hidden Lives of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Aafia Siddiqui by Deborah Scrogginssource (opens in a new tab)
  13. When I Was a Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinsonsource (opens in a new tab)

Culture

  1. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boosource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Great Houses of London by James Stourtonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. How to Stay Sane by Philippa Perrysource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest by Wade Davissource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Music as Alchemy: Journeys with Great Conductors and their Orchestras by Tom Servicesource (opens in a new tab)
  7. On Warne by Gideon Haighsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Radio Congo: Signals of Hope from Africa's Deadliest War by Ben Rawlencesource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Strands: A Year of Discoveries on the Beach by Jean Spracklandsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Swim: Why We Love the Water by Lynn Sherrsource (opens in a new tab)
  11. The Art of the Restaurateur by Nicholas Landersource (opens in a new tab)
  12. The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlanesource (opens in a new tab)
  13. The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France—Doping, Cover-Ups and Winning at all Costs by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coylesource (opens in a new tab)

Economics and business

  1. Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II by Arthur Hermansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Management in 10 Words by Terry Leahysource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Private Empire: Exxon Mobil and American Power by Steve Collsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The New Industrial Revolution: Consumers, Globalisation and the End of Mass Production by Peter Marshsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinsonsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantelsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Grimm Tales: For Young and Old by Philip Pullmansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. P L A C E by Jorie Grahamsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Pulphead: Essays by John Jeremiah Sullivansource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Dinner by Herman Koch, translated by Sam Garrettsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Forgiven by Lawrence Osbornesource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twang Engsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Three Strong Women by Marie N'Diaye, translated by John Fletchersource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Toby's Room by Pat Barkersource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Winter: Five Windows on the Season by Adam Gopniksource (opens in a new tab)
  11. Yellow Tulips: Poems 1968-2011 by James Fentonsource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-56 by Anne Applebaumsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War by Halik Kochanskisource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine 1958-1962 by Yang Jishengsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Unfinished Empire: The Global Expansion of Britain by John Darwinsource (opens in a new tab)

Politics and current affairs

  1. Days of God: The Revolution in Iran and its Consequences by James Buchansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. From the Ruins of Empire: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia by Pankaj Mishrasource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Immigrant Exodus: Why America is Losing the Global Race to Capture Entrepreneurial Talent by Vivek Wadhwasource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era by Michael Grunwaldsource (opens in a new tab)

Science and technology

  1. Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacresource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Ocean of Life: The Fate of Man and the Sea by Callum Robertssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammensource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution by Faramerz Dabhoiwalasource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Signal and the Noise: Why Most Predictions Fail but Some Don't by Nate Silversource (opens in a new tab)

About the The Economist Books of the Year

The Economist's annual books-of-the-year round-up, published in late November or early December. One list a year, split into the paper's own sections. Section names drift, so they are folded into seven: Politics and current affairs, Biography and memoir, History, Economics and business, Science and technology, Culture, and Fiction. Culture covers "Culture and digressions", "Culture, society and travel", "Culture and ideas", "Culture and the arts" and similar names. Fiction includes the 2006-2008 "Fiction and memoirs" section and the 2010-2012 poetry sections. The 2024 "Science and health" section is filed under Science and technology and "Business, economics and technology" under Economics and business. Left out: the 2025 Food (cookbooks) section, lists of books by Economist staff, and the mid-year "best books so far" lists. Edited volumes credit the editor the page names. Titles drop a trailing ": A Novel". No list is ranked. economist.com disallows Claude-User in robots.txt, so 2006-2023 pages were read through Wayback Machine copies; the 2007 list is the old displayStory URL because no capture of its newer URL was found. Every 2024 and 2025 Wayback copy is cut off by the paywall, so those lists come from yearendlists.com, which matched the Economist pages title for title for 2021-2023. The 2023 page misprints Claire Kilroy's "Soldier Sailor" as "Solider Sailor"; the yearendlists spelling is used.

Organization: The Economist. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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