Mail order catalogue

episode

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy not yet transcribed

▲ 0

Transcript

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet Upvotes decide what gets transcribed next — 0 so far. Sign in to upvote

Related

recent transcribed audio

Key Saudi Arabian Pipeline Starts Exports, Nvidia’s AI System, More 7 min · 28 Sep 2026 · Bloomberg News Now

Bonus Episode: Caitríona Balfe on Sense & Sensibility 24 min · 28 Sep 2026 · The Women's Podcast

The Day You Stop Playing It Safe, Everything Changes 44 min · 28 Sep 2026 · Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero

Azerbaijan GP Driver Ratings 1h 9m · 28 Sep 2026 · P1 with Matt and Tommy

NPR News: 09-28-2026 7AM EDT 5 min · 28 Sep 2026 · NPR News Now

7AM ET 09/28/2026 Newscast 3 min · 28 Sep 2026 · Fox News Hourly Update

Report any issue

Source

Recorded29 Apr 2019

Publisherpodcasts.files.bbci.co.uk ↗

Handlerec:19025481

Show notes

Some say the Montgomery Ward shopping catalogue is one of the most influential books in US history. It transformed the middle-class way of life in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Ward struggled to get people to understand mail order shopping. His prices were so low, people thought there was a catch. Soon, though, this type of retail would improve roads and the postal service. Tim Harford describes how similar dynamics are changing today’s middle-classes in China, with the internet replacing the postal service and e-commerce the new mail order.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Sign in