SHORTLIST
Cover of Peak Human

Peak Human

Peak Human by Johan Norberg is one of 2026's most credible books, appearing on 1 of the year's most respected lists, including The Economist, for a Consensus Score of 18 out of 100.

Appears on these lists

Our take

AI-drafted

Norberg, a committed classical liberal, surveys golden ages from Song-dynasty China to the Dutch Republic to argue that societies flourish when they embrace openness — trade, tolerance of dissent, decentralized power — and decline when they close themselves off again. It is unabashedly a thesis book: the evidence is marshaled to fit a single explanatory frame, and readers looking for a more contingent account will find those factors treated as secondary.

In the press

  • Could a history book be more timely?
    The Economist
  • a compelling and timely study
    Financial Times

How the Consensus Score is calculated

Our Consensus Score is our own transparent editorial metric — not a user rating. It weighs each list by the credibility of its source, how recent the listing is, and any award status. Here is the full breakdown.

SourceAuthorityRecencyAwardContribution
The Economist0.950.851.00×0.81
Weighted sum → Score0.8118

Similar consensus books

Because they appear on some of the same lists.

Flesh

David Szalay

Frequently asked

What lists is Peak Human on?

Peak Human appears on 1 list in our 2026 corpus, including The Economist.

What is its Consensus Score?

Peak Human has a Consensus Score of 18 out of 100, our transparent editorial measure of how many credible lists agree on it.