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8vo, hardcover in dj.396pp. "Democracy is in crisis. At this critical point, we need leadership, not just from charismatic hucksters looking after their own interests, but from those with a vision for the future and moral clarity. But where do leaders come from; how and when do they matter? We know surprisingly little on this question, but Jared Diamond's erudite, engaging and thought-provoking book takes us a huge step forward toward understanding how circumstances and individual talents, determination and strategy make leaders that have the potential to change our world (hopefully for the better)." - Daron Acemoglu, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics and NYT bestselling co-author of Why Nations Fail ìThrough fascinating examples and case studies, Jared Diamond advances a novel argument about how to think of the most complex subject in social science: When do leaders matter? As with all Diamondís books, youíll never see the world in the same way again.î - James A. Robinson, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics ìFascinating in its richness of example and provocation to more thought. . . Reaches for one of the great questions: does leadership make a difference?î - Financial Times ìWe live in turbulent times, and our societies look to exceptional individuals to navigate us out of crisis. But do leaders matter? And, if yes, what determines a leaderís success? A must-read from the grand master of analytic history.î - Peter Turchin, author of End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration ìJared Diamond at his very best. Ranging from kings and conquerors to CEOs, coaches, and prophets, he tackles one of history's oldest questions with characteristic sweep and wisdom: when does an individual truly bend the course of events, and when does the moment carry the day instead? Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings is illuminating, surprising, and impossible to put down.î - Nico Voigtl‰nder, Professor of Global Economics and Management, UCLA Anderson School of Management " In this book Jared Diamond ponders great imponderables with characteristic ingenuity. What if Hitler had died fifteen years sooner than he did? What if Darwin had never been born? How about John Wooden, or a celebrity CEO? The inquiries are fascinating, and sure to produce better dinner-table conversations for his readers." - Ward Farnsworth, W. Page Keeton Chair in Tort Law at University of Texas Austin ìAn engaging and insightful set of case studies across very different spheres, asking when leaders canóand cannotómake a difference. Recommended for specialists and general readers alike.î - Steven Pennings, co-author of Leader Value Added: Assessing the Growth Contribution of Individual National Leaders "Would history have been different if so-and-so had never lived? Diamond's amazing tour through the history of politics, business, sports, and religion shows us that the answer is not as obvious as we may think -- and shows how to use data to figure out the answers." - Benjamin Olken, TEPCO Professor of Economics, MIT ìDiamond takes a jaunty, entertaining look at the roles that individual leaders playóand the limits of those roles in politics, business, sports, and religion. His nimble, irreverent approach and insatiable curiosity lead to enlightening connections that stodgier academics wouldnít notice.î - Kirkus ìIn Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings, Jared Diamond considers the impact leaders might have had on the course of their civilizations. . . . Diamond is a wonderfully likable and curious writer. . . . Diamond is always a fun time, and over the decades his writing has shaped the popular history field in a way that must be considered a unique personal achievement.î - Dan Jones, The New York Times Book Review ìWhat determines the success of a society? Is it how mountainous their terrain is, or how diverse their crops? Or do their leaders matter, too? In a surprising turn, Diamond, the author of Guns, Germs and Steel and one of the biggest proponents of the supremacy of geography, thinks: maybe, yes. His new book examines the impact of a number of influential figures, from Adolf Hitler and Jesus Christ to the U.C.L.A. basketball coach John Wooden.î - The New York Times L'autore JARED DIAMOND is a professor of geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. Among his many awards are the US National Medal of Science, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the Wolf Prize for Agriculture, a MacArthur Foundation fellowship, the Rockefeller University's Lewis Thomas Prize honoring the Scientist as Poet, and election to the US National Academy of Sciences. He has published over 200 articles in Discover, Natural History, Nature, and Geo magazines, plus 400 articles in technical scientific journals. Diamond is the author of the international bestselling books Guns, Germs, and Steel (which has sold over seven million copies), Collapse, The Third Chimpanzee, The World Until Yesterday, and Upheaval. The many prizes that these books have won include the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction, Britain's Science Book Prize (twice), Japan's Cosmos Prize, the California Book Award (twice), the Phi Beta Kappa Science Book Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Germany's Science Book of the Year, Japan's Asahi Shimbun Award for best book of the past decade, France's Lire Prize for best science book published in France, and book prizes of Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland.