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Table of Contents
About The Book
‘A breathtaking, expansive and imaginative ride through the history and future of money from an author who truly understands it’ PROFESSOR BRIAN COX
‘Exceptional’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘A cracking book that is as enjoyable as it is readable’ PETER FRANKOPAN
‘Equally entertaining and insightful’ YANIS VAROUFAKIS
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MONEY.
The object of our desires.
The engine of our genius.
Humanity’s greatest invention.
Money is everything. It brings freedom and it takes it away. It inspires and corrupts us. But what is money? Is it the main thing holding us back from utopia or is it the one constant that’s driven us to success?
In his illuminating, entertaining and often surprising book, economist David McWilliams charts the relationship between humans and money – from clay tablets in Mesopotamia to coins in Ancient Greece, from mathematics in the medieval Arab world to the French Revolution, and from the emergence of the US dollar right up to today’s cryptocurrency. Along the way, we meet a host of characters who have innovated with money, disrupting society and transforming the way we live. Like humanity, money is ever changing, adapting to its time and circumstances. The question is, over the last 5000 years, have we changed money or has money changed us?
Money tells an astonishing new story of our species. Taking the reader on an epic journey through the history of money, McWilliams reveals its fundamental role in our society.
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‘An eye-opening history of what makes the world go round’ EVENING STANDARD
'An impressive journey that fizzes with facts'. ECONOMIST
‘David McWilliams is the best explainer of economics I know’ SIMON KUPER
'Compelling, funny and original' KATJA HOYER
‘If, as David McWilliams complains, economists take the fun out of money, then he is the exception that proves the rule: a man who could not write a boring sentence if he tried’ TOM HOLLAND
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio UK (September 12, 2024)
- Runtime: 11 hours and 55 minutes
- ISBN13: 9781398513860
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Raves and Reviews
‘A hugely ambitious, insightful and readable account of our relationship with money'
– Felix Martin, Financial Times
‘A cracking book that is as enjoyable as it is readable’
– Peter Frankopan, author of 'The Silk Roads'
‘An eye-opening history of what makes the world go round’
– Evening Standard
'If, as David McWilliams complains, economists take the fun out of money, then he is the exception that proves the rule: a man who could not write a boring sentence if he tried, and who, in this brilliantly informative and entertaining book, has done his subject splendid justice'
– Tom Holland
‘A breathtaking, expansive and imaginative ride through the history and future of Money from an author who truly understands it. If, like me, you’ve never quite figured out where money comes from or even what it is, this is the book for you’
– Professor Brian Cox
'Equally entertaining and insightful'
– Yanis Varoufakis
‘A tour de force of economic history that manages to be erudite, authoritative and engaging . . . After reading this, you will never look at your bank account in the same way again’
– Gillian Tett
'Pacey chapters make for a series of entertaining – and at times irreverent – tales which relay a story of money that we all should know!'
– Linda Yueh, author of The Great Crashes: Lessons from Global Meltdowns and How to Prevent Them
‘David McWilliams is the best explainer of economics I know. Here he explains the world through money, and it’s fantastically entertaining. He's the kind of writer who makes you feel clever, because he helps you grasp things you never understood before’
– Simon Kuper, author of 'Chums: How a Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories took over the UK'
‘A timely, fascinating account of how money has powered life on our planet from Ireland’s superstar economist. Money is so often shrouded in secrecy and manipulated by forces we barely understand, so it’s refreshing to read a book that traces our relationship with it with such healthy irreverence!’
– Mariella Frostrup
‘McWilliams is charismatic, free flowing, unflaggingly engaging’
– Fintan O’Toole
‘McWilliams has a great knack for bringing a complex economics story to life. He is also funny. In economics, that's a rare and persuasive combination’
– Irish Times
‘Compelling, funny and original. If there's one person who can turn an economic history of the world into a page turner, it's David McWilliams'
– Katja Hoyer, author of Beyond the Wall
'A fun history of money told through the stories of the chancers, cheats, scoundrels and geniuses through the ages who made it happen'
– Katie Martin, columnist at the Financial Times
'Entertaining and compelling . . . raises profound questions as to how we have ordered our societies and the inequalities that we have built into the template of our civilisations . . . . a fabulous read'
– Irish Times
‘Fascinating, engaging and personable . . . Money: A Story of Humanity will not only give you a deeper appreciation of that banknote in your pocket or that depressingly small number in your current account, but also of how such things shaped the world around us, our lives and our communities'
– Irish Independent
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Money Unabridged Audio Download 9781398513860