David S. Landes, a renowned historian whose work focused on the complex dynamics of cultural values, technological innovation, and historical circumstance in economic development, died Aug. 17 at age 89.

The Coolidge Professor of History and Professor of Economics Emeritus, Landes is arguably best-known for his book “The Wealth and Poverty of Nations,” a historical treatise that explored the ways in which history and culture intersected to create the conditions that allowed some nations to prosper while others languished in relative poverty. The book has been hailed as a landmark work by other historians and economists, including John Kenneth Galbraith, who called it “truly wonderful. No question that this will establish David Landes as preeminent in his field and in his time.”...