The #1 Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestseller longlisted for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year. ´A hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases´ BARACK OBAMA Things aren´t as bad as we think. Fact. At last, a book that puts all the bad news in perspective- and brings us surprisingly positive data that show the state of the world has in fact improved over the last 50-200 years. Acclaimed by Bill Gates and Barack Obama, named an Observer ´best brainy book of the decade´ - destined to be a perennial bestseller and non-fiction classic. (let´s make that a fact!) ´Wonderful . . . a passionate and erudite message that is all more moving because it comes from beyond the grave . . . His knack for presentation and delight in statistics come across on every page. Who else would choose a chart of "guitars per capita" as a proxy for human progress?´ FINANCIAL TIMES ´One of the most important books I´ve ever read - an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.´ BILL GATES