Ebury imprint WH Allen acquires Trade World by Ed Conway

Ebury imprint WH Allen has acquired Trade World, the new book by award-winning, bestselling author Ed Conway.

Jamie Joseph, Publishing Director, acquired World All Language rights (excluding US), from Jonathan Conway at Jonathan Conway Literary Agency, in an exclusive submission.

Ed Conway is Economics Editor of Sky News and a regular columnist for The Times. His previous book Material World was a Sunday Times bestseller and has sold over 250,000 copies around the world through 15 published international editions, as well as being nominated for numerous prizes in the UK and beyond.

Trade World tells the story of how trade has shaped humanity, from ancient civilizations right through to current geopolitical battles for oil and resources. Conway tells this story by focusing on three key products – bread, clothes and cars – and blends on-the-ground storytelling with top-down analysis to ask fascinating questions about our ever-increasing reliance on securing the products we rely on daily.

Joseph said: ‘Trade World is both a jaw-dropping history of the most important geopolitical issue of our time and also a revealing look at the secret way the world really works and how it got that way. It’s packed with surprising stories from Ed’s travels around the world, and I know will captivate readers everywhere.’

Conway commented: ‘Even before the events in the Persian Gulf this year, it was becoming clear that the world was in a precarious place. Our economic dependence on each other has never been greater. I’ve spent the past few years travelling the world, from chokepoints to obscure supply chains, to document the real, messy, wonderful story of how the world economy works. It is the story of everyday products, of tariffs, trade and what happens when shipping lanes are closed. Trade World is about what that really means for all of us. I’m delighted to be working with the team at WH Allen again and am very excited for everyone to see the results later this year.’

Trade World is due to publish in hardback, ebook and audio in September 2026.