tldr
These two books are about political order from 10,000 BC to the present.
Political order = the state, rule of law, accountability.
why bother reading this book?
To understand why countries have failed (e.g. Qing China, contemporary Greece) or succeeded (Song China, 19th century Germany) at different points in human history.
institutions do not necessarily progress
Some countries start strong, then get stuck (middle income trap).
Some countries are laggards, then suddenly catch up.