This paper aims to contribute to the contemporary policy debate on the role of trade policy reforms in economic development and poverty reduction in developing countries through a review of Trade Liberalisation and The Poverty of Nations by A.P. Thirlwall and Penelope Pacheco-Lopez (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar). It begins with a chapter-by-chapter summary of the book while emphasising the main strengths and novel contributions. This is followed by an evaluation of the key inferences in the context of an interpretative survey of the related literature.