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The Ascent of Money

A Financial History of the World

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The Ascent of Money

Written by: Niall Ferguson
Narrated by: Simon Prebble
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About this listen

 Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of finance, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals on what he calls Planet Finance.

Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot, lucre, moolah, readies, the wherewithal: Call it what you like, it matters. To Christians, love of it is the root of all evil. To generals, it's the sinews of war. To revolutionaries, it's the chains of labor. But in The Ascent of Money, Niall Ferguson shows that finance is in fact the foundation of human progress. What's more, he reveals financial history as the essential back story behind all history.

Through Ferguson's expert lens familiar historical landmarks appear in a new and sharper financial focus. Suddenly, the civilization of the Renaissance looks very different: a boom in the market for art and architecture made possible when Italian bankers adopted Arabic mathematics. The rise of the Dutch republic is reinterpreted as the triumph of the world's first modern bond market over insolvent Habsburg absolutism. And the origins of the French Revolution are traced back to a stock market bubble caused by a convicted Scot murderer.

©2008 Niall Ferguson (P)2008 Tantor Economics World Money Business War Socialism Banking Capitalism Taxation Global Financial Crisis Deflation US Economy Africa Imperialism Capital Market Imperial Japan Government Latin America Stock Self-Determination Financial History
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Any one working in financial services must listen or read the Ascent of money. Niall gets a 5 star rating for his work.

Informative

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yes loved this book and I am an economist and quant. everyone should read it. but it is more than a great overview on the financial system. It is so well written it is like having a good book read to you as you kick back, relax and listen!
It couldn't be any easier than this.

Financial literacy for the masses

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Very interesting book, however, as someone with no economocs background, it got hard to follow at times.

Very Interesting, But Challenging for Beginners

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learn all about how manipulation of the money supply has created massive bubbles and busts throughout history and why

the history of money credit and bubbles

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Great book about the history of money from its inception to present day. Well put together.

Great book about the history of money

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Decent content. Too many run on sentences. Narrator’s voice is not engaging and is very monotone.

Monotone Voice

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