Money
A Story of Humanity
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Money
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Narrated by:
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David McWilliams
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By:
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David McWilliams
About this listen
THE INTERNATIONAL #1 BESTSELLER
SHORTLISTED FOR THE AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2024 NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
A WATERSTONES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
AN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
A FINANCIAL TIMES ECONOMICS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
A PROSPECT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
‘A breathtaking, expansive and imaginative ride through the history and future of money from an author who truly understands it’ PROFESSOR BRIAN COX
‘Exceptional’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘A cracking book that is as enjoyable as it is readable’ PETER FRANKOPAN
‘Equally entertaining and insightful’ YANIS VAROUFAKIS
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MONEY.
The object of our desires.
The engine of our genius.
Humanity’s greatest invention.
Money is everything. It brings freedom and it takes it away. It inspires and corrupts us. But what is money? Is it the main thing holding us back from utopia or is it the one constant that’s driven us to success?
In his illuminating, entertaining and often surprising book, economist David McWilliams charts the relationship between humans and money – from clay tablets in Mesopotamia to coins in Ancient Greece, from mathematics in the medieval Arab world to the French Revolution, and from the emergence of the US dollar right up to today’s cryptocurrency. Along the way, we meet a host of characters who have innovated with money, disrupting society and transforming the way we live. Like humanity, money is ever changing, adapting to its time and circumstances. The question is, over the last 5000 years, have we changed money or has money changed us?
Money tells an astonishing new story of our species. Taking the reader on an epic journey through the history of money, McWilliams reveals its fundamental role in our society.
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‘An impressive journey that fizzes with facts’ ECONOMIST
‘An eye-opening history of what makes the world go round’ EVENING STANDARD
‘David McWilliams is the best explainer of economics I know’ SIMON KUPER
‘Compelling, funny and original’ KATJA HOYER
‘If, as David McWilliams complains, economists take the fun out of money, then he is the exception that proves the rule: a man who could not write a boring sentence if he tried’ TOM HOLLAND©2024 David McWilliams (P)2024 Simon & Schuster, UK
What listeners say about Money
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Eoin
- 01-03-25
Good book. Does David understand Bitcoin? I’m not sure.
I found the overall story interesting and enjoyed the historical timeline. The author brought forward a new perspective on the evolution of money. I found the end frustrating and thought the author could have done more to demonstrate he understood crypto and why bitcoin in particular has gotten to where it is.
His claims that the Kenyian phone company have developed a payment network superior to Bitcoin is quite absurd, Bitcoin is a $2 trillion dollar global network. The problem it’s solving is global debasement of fiat currency, it’s allowing people all over the world to protect their purchasing power all be it in a volatile asset class..
I’m unsure why David so dogmatically believes money should be managed by the government and why a decentralised global network isn’t superior. Beyond the corruption of so many of the earlier characters in the book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Angel
- 10-11-24
Pulling back the veil from filthy luekers history.
David McWilliam will leave you feeling well informed and cynical. Human nature's hard like behaviour with finance is explained thru the long view of history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- O. Buraimoh
- 10-28-24
Very insightful
The most comprehensive, insightful straightforward and uncomplicated history of the evolution of money and its impact on our world that I have ever read or listened to. A must for the library
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-07-25
Extremely insightful
I was genuinely surprised by how good this books is! It’s everything I hoped it to be and more.
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