The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World [Hardcover]

'Ferguson's reputation is so high that if he were a stock one would short him ... his book is very readable indeed' --James Buchan, Guardian

`Niall Ferguson has written a fascinating, accessible, and important book that lives up to its rather grandiose title ... It goes from cowrie shells to mortgage-backed securities, and everything in between ... this is an exceptional book.'

'Ferguson's powers are on formidable display ... Alone among modern economic historians, he is able to present complex data in a consistently revelatory manner.'

'From clay tables to loan securitisation, this fine history reveals trust as central to the power of finance ... told with verve and insight ... [Niall Ferguson] is a fine analyst of the financial vertebrae that make up the backbone of human history'

'Highly readable stuff ... extraordinarily timely'

'Every page has the Ferguson hallmarks of trenchant argument, telling detail and lucid explanation ... Ferguson's analysis is more illuminating than all the dozens of newspaper articles I have read on the subject.'

'Professor Ferguson is not only one of the world's leading historians. He has written a number of books on financial themes and tackles his complex subject with great clarity and wit.'

Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot: 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 labour. 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.

The evolution of credit and debt was as important as any technological innovation in the rise of civilization, from ancient Babylon to the silver mines of Bolivia. Banks provided the material basis for the splendours of the Italian Renaissance, while the bond market was the decisive factor in conflicts from the Seven Years' War to the American Civil War.

With the clarity and verve for which he is famed, Niall Ferguson explains why the origins of the French Revolution lie in a stock market bubble caused by a convicted Scots murderer. He shows how financial failure turned Argentina from the world's sixth richest country into an inflation-ridden basket case - and how a financial revolution is propelling the world's most populous country from poverty to power in a single generation.

Yet the most important lesson of the financial history is that sooner or later every bubble bursts - sooner or later the bearish sellers outnumber the bullish buyers - sooner or later greed flips into fear. And that's why, whether you're scraping by or rolling in it, there's never been a better time to understand the ascent of money.

Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot: 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 labour. But in THE ASCENT OF MONEY, Niall Ferguson shows that finance is in fact the foundation of human progress. With the clarity and verve for which he is famed, Niall Ferguson reveals financial history as the essential back-story behind all history. He explains why the origins of the French Revolution lie in a stock market bubble caused by a convicted Scots murderer. He shows how financial failure turned Argentina from the world’s sixth richest country into an inflation-ridden basket case – and how a financial revolution is propelling the world’s most populous country from poverty to power. Yet the most important lesson of the financial history is that sooner or later every bubble bursts. And that’s why, whether you’re scraping by or rolling in it, there’s never been a better time to understand the ascent of money. Niall Ferguson is one of Britain’s most renowned historians. He is Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University, a Senior Research Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University, and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. The bestselling author of Paper and Iron, The House of Rothschild, The Pity of War, The Cash Nexus, Empire, Colossus and The War of the World, he also writes regularly for publications all over the world. He has written and presented four highly successful television documentary series for Channel Four, most recently The Ascent of Money. He, his wife and three children divide their time between the United Kingdom and the United States. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Niall Ferguson is one of Britain's most renowned historians. He is Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University, a Senior Research Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University, and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. The bestselling author of Paper and Iron, The House of Rothschild, The Pity of War, The Cash Nexus, Empire, Colossus and The War of the World, he also writes regularly for newspapers and magazines all over the world. He has written and presented four highly successful television documentary series for Channel 4: Empire, American Colossus, The War of the World and, most recently, The Ascent of Money. He, his wife and three children divide their time between the United Kingdom and the United States.