First published 2008
From ancient Mesopotamia to the subprime mortgage crisis, historian Niall Ferguson traces the ascent of money and its pivotal role in human progress. Discover how Renaissance art boomed when Italian bankers adopted Arabic mathematics, how the Dutch republic triumphed over Habsburg absolutism through its bond market, and how a convicted Scot murderer sparked the French Revolution. Yet the lesson of financial history is that all bubbles eventually burst - so whether you're scraping by or rolling in it, understanding the ascent of money has never been more crucial.
Genres: history, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century, finance, academic
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-nonfiction
Setting: Africa, Arabia, Europe, France, Mesopotamia, Netherlands, Scotland
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century, Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance
442 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press