Ferguson (born in 1964) is a Scottish academic who resides in the United States. Ferguson’s professional focus is economic history and the history of imperialism. He is Harvard University’s Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Stanford University’s Milbank Family Senior Fellow (Hoover Institution). Ferguson is also known for his best-selling books and contributions to historical documentaries.

Born in Glasgow, Ferguson received his education in History from the University of Oxford. Subsequently, the author was a research fellow at Christ’s College, Cambridge. He went on to teach at several academic institutions, including the London School of Economics, Harvard University, and New York University.

Parallel to his academic pursuits, Ferguson has pursued a business career combined with his focus on history. For example, he launched Chimerica Media Ltd. for the purpose of filming documentaries. His Ascent of Money series (2009) won an Emmy award.

Ferguson is a prolific writer. In addition to the given book, his bibliography includes Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World (2003), The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World (2008), Kissinger: 1923-1968: The Idealist (2015), and Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe (2021).