What is money; and how does it work? In this tour de force of political; cultural; and economic history; Felix Martin challenges nothing less than our conventional understanding of one of humankind’s greatest inventions. Martin describes how the Western idea of money emerged in the ancient world; and was shaped over the centuries by tensions between sovereigns and the emerging middle classes. Money; he argues; has always been an intensely political instrument; and that it is our failure to remember this that led to the crisis in our financial system and the Great Recession. He concludes with practical solutions for making money serve us—and; in an introduction and epilogue new to this edition; a discussion of what Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies mean for money's future. From John Locke to Montesquieu; from Sparta to the Soviet Union; Money is a far-ranging and magisterial work of history and economics; with profound implications for the world today.
#1030722 in Books Jonathan Kirsch 1999-11-02 1999-11-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x 1.00 x 5.50l; 1.17 #File Name: 0345412702448 pagesISBN13: 9780345412706Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Spectacular WorkBy MITCHQuite academic; very thought provoking work. It incorporated many views; even though some would disagree at times. It does make one pause to verify or at least look at the history; both from a biblical point as well as secular. All points are valid and as an objective student of history one must take into account even opposing thought; perhaps even challenging ones own dogmatic perception. I myself did not agree with all the subjective analysis or personal points. However; it is even within the more subjective views still thought provoking. One is either strengthened or offended; yet that very same will be moved non the less to much greater thought. Very inspiring and more than worth the read!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Moses the mystery.By R. MorellI'm not finished with this book; but it's rather readable. I picked it up because I wanted to know about the "Moses Archetype" if you will; and it's been somewhat helpful there. I'm fascinated that there is so much that's contradictory; and Mr. Kirsch does an admirable job of explicating some of the details. It's definitely a great read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Very Different View.By Edward J. BartonFor those who view Moses in light of Charleton Heston; or a Michelangelo statue (pictured on the cover); Jonathan Kirsch will dispell these views and provide many other facets of analysis on the life of Moses. Viewing the life of Moses through the lenses of the Bible; the Talmud; other Midrashim as well as popular legend; archaeology; sociology; history and literature; Kirsch attempts to unpeel the onion to discover the "real" Moses. Kirsch walks the reader chronologically through the life of Moses; from the birth and discovery in the Nile through his death on Mount Nebo - all the while applying the lenses noted above to see what each might tell us.What he finds is that the "real" Moses is the Moses of myth and legend; and the stories are rich with symbolism; theology and meaning at many levels. While the Moses of history is lost to time; and impossible to recover; Kirsch does a masterful job of bringing the meaning of Moses to life; and helps the reader understand that "real" is more than just "historical". A good read.
