The History of Money“If you’re interested in the revolutionary transformation of the meaning and use of money, this is the book to read!”—Charles R. Schwab Cultural anthropologist Jack Weatherford traces our relationship with money, from primitive man’s cowrie shells to the electronic cash card, from the markets of Timbuktu to the New York Stock Exchange. The History of Money explores how money and the myriad forms of exchange have affected humanity, and how they will continue to shape all aspects of our lives—economic, political, and personal. “A fascinating book about the force that makes the world go round—the dollars, pounds, francs, marks, bahts, ringits, kwansas, levs, biplwelles, yuans, quetzales, pa’angas, ngultrums, ouguiyas, and other 200-odd brand names that collectively make up the mysterious thing we call money.”—Los Angeles Times |
Contents
The World Market | 1 |
CLASSIC CASH | 13 |
The Fifth Element | 28 |
The Premature Death of Money | 46 |
Knights of Commerce | 64 |
New Money for Old Art | 80 |
The Golden Curse | 93 |
PAPER MONEY | 109 |
The Yellow Brick Road | 168 |
The Golden Playpen of Politics | 178 |
ELECTRONIC MONEY | 191 |
The Cash Ghetto | 209 |
Interlude in Plastic | 219 |
The Erotic Life of Electronic Money | 233 |
The Art of Currency Terror | 251 |
The Age of Money | 264 |
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Common terms and phrases
American amount ancient army Aztec Bandiagara Bank of England bankers became began bills Bolivia British cacao cash checks church colonies commercial commodities commodity money created credit card Croesus culture currency market customers decimal system denarius Diocletian Dogon economy electronic money emperor empire ernment Europe European exchange Federal Reserve Fort Knox France French German German mark gold and silver gold coins gold standard Greek greenbacks hyperinflation important increased inflation issued Italian Jáchymov kings land loans London Lydian mall Mall of America Medici ment merchants metal metric system million mines minted modern monarchs monetary needed nineteenth century officials operated paper money payment percent peso political printed produced Renaissance revolution Roman Rome sell silver coins Spain Spanish talers Templars throughout tion trade transactions twentieth century U.S. dollar United virtually wealth