Finalist, 2023 George R. Terry Book Award, Academy of Management

Entrepreneurs are among the primary shapers of our culture, yet their role in driving progress and influencing society has often been overlooked. As far back as we can trace human history, there have been entrepreneurs. Almost five millennia ago, copper tool manufacturers set up a factory in what today is southwest Spain, profiting for hundreds of years from trade around the Mediterranean. Papyri document the diverse investments of an ancient Egyptian businessperson, from grain-yielding land to flax for linen cloth. What do these figures have in common with renowned modern entrepreneurs, and how do their similarities help us achieve a deeper understanding of entrepreneurship as well as the potential for a healthier, wealthier, and more equitable and sustainable future?

Derek Lidow delves into the deep history of innovation to deliver essential new insights into how entrepreneurs create value and bring about change. Telling the captivating stories of people from many different cultures over thousands of years, he shows how entrepreneurs transform the world through relentless innovation. Lidow demonstrates that far from being heroic lone individuals, they copy and then add to the inventions of others. The cumulative innovations of swarms of entrepreneurs expand the scale, scope, and range of products and services. Lidow emphasizes how entrepreneurship can harm society as well as benefit it, and he underscores ways to mitigate its harmful side and harness its positive effects. By highlighting the fundamental qualities of innovation throughout history, this book provides indispensable new perspective on how it is shaping our present and future.

"Fascinating. Informative. Well organized. Impressively insightful. Will have a special appeal to readers with an interest in the history of entrepreneurship, economic history, and environmental economics. Unreservedly recommended." - Midwest Book Review

"Prof. Lidow is well qualified not only to put forth a thorough history of entrepreneurs, but also to highlight the lessons to be learned from their successes and failures throughout the centuries. He leaves the reader with a much clearer picture of what constitutes an entrepreneur, and what can be done to continue reaping the benefits of entrepreneurialism while minimizing the unwanted consequences. More than just an entertaining read, The Entrepreneurs: The Relentless Quest for Value is the beginning of a plan for encouraging good entrepreneurial efforts in the future." - NetworkDataPedia

"Lidow has crafted a useful perspective on the 'quest for value' at the heart of most entrepreneurial adventures. The Entrepreneurs nudges us to appreciate those successful actors who have capitalized on broader change, created material improvements in how we work and live cooperatively, and left a legacy for others to build on." - strategy+business