Money: The Unauthorised Biography

New
Paperback
2014
$14.00

What is money, and how does it work? The conventional answer is that people once used sugar in the West Indies, tobacco in Virginia, and dried cod in Newfoundland, and that today's financial universe evolved from barter. Unfortunately, there is a problem with this story. It's wrong. And not just wrong, but dangerous. Money: the Unauthorised Biography unfolds a panoramic secret history and explains the truth about money: what it is, where it comes from, and how it works. Drawing on stories from throughout human history and around the globe, Money will radically rearrange your understanding of the world and shows how money can once again become the most powerful force for freedom we have ever known.

Synopsis

What is money, and how does it work? The conventional answer is that people once used sugar in the West Indies, tobacco in Virginia, and dried cod in Newfoundland, and that today's financial universe evolved from barter. Unfortunately, there is a problem with this story. It's wrong. And not just wrong, but dangerous. Money: the Unauthorised Biography unfolds a panoramic secret history and explains the truth about money: what it is, where it comes from, and how it works. Drawing on stories from throughout human history and around the globe, Money will radically rearrange your understanding of the world and shows how money can once again become the most powerful force for freedom we have ever known.

$14.00

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 03 Jul 2014
ISBN 10: 0099578522
ISBN 13: 9780099578529
Book Overview: Money was one of man's greatest inventions. But we have become its slaves. Felix Martin takes us to the heart of society's misunderstanding of money and sets us straight.
Prizes: Long-listed for Guardian First Book Award 2013.

Media Reviews

Brilliant... A fascinating new way of telling the story of what money is -- John Lanchester * Guardian *
A superb synthesis...a lucid, colourful introduction to 3,000 years of monetary history... So replete with literary and historical examples that the story almost tells itself -- Martin Sandbu * Financial Times *
Magnificent - hugely imaginative, clear, coherent -- Robert Skidelsky
Fizzing with ideas * Sunday Telegraph *
Compulsively readable * New York Times *
A most accessible and thrilling read. If you want to read just one book about money, this is it -- Ha-Joon Chang
If you don't know about economics, this is a really good introduction...gets right to the heart of it -- Misha Glenny
It's a wealth of understanding for understanding wealth * Esquire *

Author Bio

Felix Martin was educated in the UK, Italy and the US, and holds degrees in classics, international relations and economics, including a D.Phil. in Economics from Oxford University. He worked for the World Bank and for the European Stability Initiative think tank, and is currently a partner in the fixed income division at Liontrust Asset Management plc.