Categories: General & World History Social & Cultural History Economic History Economic History


The Ascent of Money : A Financial History of the World: 10th Anniversary Edition
3.9 (27,111 ratings by Goodreads)
Paperback English
By (author) Niall Ferguson


The 10th anniversary edition, with new chapters on the crash, Chimerica, and cryptocurrency

"[An] excellent, just in time guide to the history of finance and financial crisis." --The Washington Post

"Fascinating." --Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek

In this updated edition, Niall Ferguson brings his classic financial history of the world up to the present day, tackling the populist backlash that followed the 2008 crisis, the descent of "Chimerica" into a trade war, and the advent of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, with his signature clarity and expert lens.

The Ascent of Money reveals finance as the backbone of history, casting a new light on familiar events: the Renaissance enabled by Italian foreign exchange dealers, the French Revolution traced back to a stock market bubble, the 2008 crisis traced from Americas bankruptcy capital, Memphis, to Chinas boomtown, Chongqing. We may resent the plutocrats of Wall Street but, as Ferguson argues, the evolution of finance has rivaled the importance of any technological innovation in the rise of civilization. Indeed, to study the ascent and descent of money is to study the rise and fall of Western power itself.


Product details

Format Paperback | 496 pages
Dimensions 140 x 216 x 25mm | 403g
Publication date 15 Jul 2011
Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc
Imprint Penguin USA
Publication City/Country New York, NY, United States
Language English
Edition Statement Trade Paperback
Illustrations note B/W PHOTOS, ILLUSTRATIONS, AND GRAPHS THROUGHOUT
ISBN10 0143116177
ISBN13 9780143116172
Bestsellers rank 7,197