What do cowrie shells, ankle bones, paper cards, cigarettes and digital databases all have in common? At some time, they have been used as a form of money.
Like sex or power, money is a force rarely discussed openly. The human race strives for financial stability and security, but each time we appear to reach a new plateau of prosperity, it often proves surprisingly ephemeral. The financial system has a habit of throwing a spanner in the works, often with catastrophic results both for businesses and individuals alike.
A Brief History of Money traces the role, growth and impact of the substance that plays such a huge role in our lives, whether we have it or we don’t. Author David Orrell explores and analyzes the global financial system, from the earliest barter exchange between strangers to the boom and bust that characterize twentieth and twenty-first century economics, all while investigating the curiously emotional power of the most abstract, unpredictable, creative and volatile of substances.
David Orrell is an applied mathematician and author of several books on economics, including Economyths and Quantum Economics, and is the author of The Evolution of Money.