Tim Harford moves to W H Allen in 10-way auction

Bestselling author and economist Tim Harford is moving from Little, Brown to Ebury’s W H Allen imprint following a 10-way auction for The Power of Counting.

Publishing director Jamie Joseph acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to The Power of Counting from Sally Holloway at Felicity Bryan Associates, in a major acquisition following a 10-way bidding war. US rights were sold to Jake Morrissey at Riverhead by Zoë Pagnamenta at Calligraph. The Power of Counting is due to publish in hardback, e-book and audio editions in 2027.

"The Power of Counting will show readers how the simple act of counting—or, in a word, data—has enabled us to establish the building blocks of modern civilisation,” the publisher said. “Along the way it ranges through fascinating characters, wrong-turns and deception to show how we can use data better to create a fairer, healthier and more resilient future."

Joseph said: "The Power of Counting is a brilliant new direction for Tim. Packed with incredible stories and driven by a fresh and inspiring argument, this is a book that will make readers see the world in a completely new light. I am absolutely delighted to bring Tim to W H Allen and I can’t wait to publish him."

Harford said: “We can learn so much about the future of data by looking at the way we’ve overlooked and underestimated it in the past. The more I’ve pulled on the threads of this story, the more obsessed I’ve become with it. I’m so excited by the ideas I want to pour into this book and couldn’t be happier that W H Allen share my enthusiasm.”

The author of numerous books including The Undercover Economist (Little, Brown), Harford is also a senior columnist at the Financial Times, and the presenter of Radio 4’s "More or Less", the iTunes-topping series "Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy" and the podcast "Cautionary Tales". He is an honorary fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford and of the Royal Statistical Society, and was awarded an OBE in 2019 for services to improving economic understanding.