The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger was written by Marc Levinson, an economist as well as a former finance and economics editor of the Economist. This book is about the history of the shipping container, about the economic ramifications of the shipping container - from the closing of traditional (and antiquated) ports to the rise of Asia as the world's preeminent provider of cargos. Levinson maintains his focus on the economics of shipping vast quantities of merchandise. Throughout, the writing is clean-more informal than rigidly academic, making the book suitable for casual readers as well as students looking for a different take on the evolution of 20th-century world economics.

The book was published by Princeton University Press on March 20, 2006. Once published, it came into vogue and was shortlisted for 2006 Best Book by The Financial Times and Goldman Sachs.

China Machine Press, one of the best presses in China, invited President Mai Boliang to write the preface for its Chinese version. Mr. Mai, who is also Chairman of China Container Industry Association, was delighted to write preface titled “The Container: Man’s Great Invention” for this classic tale of containers. The Chinese version was published in November 2007 and was widely accepted by Chinese readers.

Selected Review:

The Economist: Makes a strong case that . . . without the container, there would be no globalization.

Virginia Postrel The New York Times: [A] classic tale of trial and error, and of creative destruction.

Tim W. Ferguson The Wall Street Journal: Like much of today's international cargo, Marc Levinson's The Box arrives''just in time.'

Management Today: A fascinating new book.

Graham Williams Sydney Morning Herald: The Box is . . . an engrossing read. . . . I found it absorbing and informative from the first page.

Neil Irwin Washington Post: Levinson has produced a marvelous read for anyone who cares about how the interconnected world economy came to be.

Joe Nocera The New York Times: [A] smart, engaging book. . . . Mr. Levinson makes a persuasive case that the container has been woefully underappreciated.