[Main Blog Post] How the Cost of Freight Has Shaped the World

[jprussell]

Short post this week where I barely scratch the surface of what I suspect will be a big, deep topic - how cheap transportation has been the less obvious, but maybe just as important, side of the industrial revolution next to mass production.

Comments

Ralph Borsodi

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Jeff,

I apologize for resurrecting a very old thread. I only just recently discovered your blog from your comments on J.M. Greer's dreamwidth blog.

The title of this post caught my attention. Are you familiar with Ralph Borsodi and his book, The Distribution Age (https://soilandhealth.org/book/the-distribution-age/)? Ralph Borsodi was an economist turned philosopher and a back-to-the-lander during the Great Depression. He, quite unpopularly for the time, identified this freight issue as a problem and described its long-term impact on the economy in detail in The Distribution Age. It is a very fascinating read, especially for those that have an understanding of retail and/or wholesale business.

Your post touches very much on the basics of Borsodi's thesis. I thought it might interest you.

In a side note, Borsodi left all of his works to the public domain when he died. This Ugly Civilization and Flight From The City are also worthwhile reads.

Re: Ralph Borsodi

[jprussell]

Thank you very much for this! I had not heard of Borsodi or his works, but The Distribution Age in particular sounds like exactly what I was hoping someone more knowledgeable had written when I wrote this post! I'll check it (and likely his other works) out.

Cheers,
Jeff