Money: A Story of Humanity by David McWilliams - Economics & Finance Non Fiction - Hardback

Details:
Condition: BRAND NEW
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781471195433
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Overview:
Money: A Story of Humanity is economist David McWilliams' sweeping, entertaining account of the object that has shaped civilisation - from Mesopotamian clay tablets to Bitcoin. Blending economics, history and storytelling, McWilliams reveals how money has driven human ingenuity, sparked revolutions, built empires and widened inequality. A Radio 4 Book of the Week and Financial Times Book of the Year, this hardback is essential reading for anyone curious about how currency really works, and why it matters more than ever in today's uncertain economy.

About the Book:
In this illuminating and often irreverent journey, David McWilliams charts the relationship between humans and money across five thousand years - from clay tablets in Mesopotamia to coins in Ancient Greece, mathematics in the medieval Arab world, the financial chaos of the French Revolution, and the invention of the US dollar through to today's cryptocurrencies. Along the way, readers meet the innovators, chancers and revolutionaries who used money to disrupt society and transform how we live. McWilliams argues that money is humanity's greatest invention: it brings freedom, yet it can just as easily take it away. Written for readers of Sapiens and Yanis Varoufakis, the book moves fluidly between rigorous economic analysis and vivid, often funny anecdotes, making complex financial history feel immediate and alive. Topics such as banking, inflation, debt, and the psychology of wealth are explored with genuine curiosity rather than dry academic detachment, giving readers fresh context for understanding modern financial crises and the rise of digital currency. Praised by figures including Professor Brian Cox, and shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards and Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2024, this is popular economics writing at its most engaging.

• Written by David McWilliams, an internationally respected economist and broadcaster with a gift for making economics entertaining.
• Traces 5,000 years of monetary history, from ancient Mesopotamia to modern cryptocurrency.
• Award-winning and critically acclaimed: an FT and Prospect Book of the Year 2024, and a Radio 4 Book of the Week.
• Explains complex financial concepts - inflation, debt, banking, inequality - in clear, jargon-free language.
• A thoughtful, timely gift for economics students, history lovers and anyone curious about the forces shaping the modern world.

About the Author:
David McWilliams is a leading Irish economist, author and broadcaster known for translating complex economic ideas into accessible, often humorous commentary. He founded Kilkenomics, the world's only festival combining economics and stand-up comedy, and has written extensively on globalisation, banking and financial crises. A regular voice on Irish and international media, McWilliams has built a reputation for spotting economic trends ahead of the mainstream.

Why You'll Love This Book:
For anyone who loved Sapiens or wants a genuinely entertaining way into economic history, Money delivers big ideas without the jargon - a witty, wide-ranging story of the invention that built (and broke) civilisations.

Please Note: Cover design may vary slightly; this listing is for the UK edition hardback as shown, with ISBN 9781471195433.