Money: A Story of Humanity

MONEY.
The object of our desires.
The engine of our genius.
Humanity’s greatest invention.

From clay tablets in Mesopotamia to today’s cryptocurrency, global economist David McWilliams takes us on an epic journey of innovation, disruption and transformation that is an astonishing new history of our species.

The question is, over 5,000 years, have we changed money – or has money changed us?

 

Review

‘A hugely ambitious, insightful and readable account of our relationship with money' -- Felix Martin ― Financial Times

‘This is an author who knows how to hook his audience . . . There is no shortage of books about money . . . but few are as lively as this one. With McWilliams as your guide, your journey into the story of money will be so much more digestible and fun’ -- Linda Yueh, BBC History Magazine

'If you still think of economics as 'the dismal science', then this firecracker of a book might change your mind' -- Christopher Hart ― Mail on Sunday

‘Well researched and crammed full of anecdotes that help bring a dry subject to life. Much to enjoy – for the lay reader as well as the economist’ ― Guardian

‘A breathtaking, expansive and imaginative ride through the history and future of money from an author who truly understands it. If, like me, you’ve never quite figured out where money comes from or even what it is, this is the book for you’

-- Professor Brian Cox

'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, and who, in this brilliantly informative and entertaining book, has done his subject splendid justice' -- Tom Holland

‘A timely, fascinating account of how money has powered life on our planet from Ireland’s superstar economist. Money is so often shrouded in secrecy and manipulated by forces we barely understand, so it’s refreshing to read a book that traces our relationship with it with such healthy irreverence!’ -- Mariella Frostrup

'Entertaining and compelling . . . raises profound questions as to how we have ordered our societies and the inequalities that we have built into the template of our civilisations . . . . a fabulous read' ― Irish Times

‘Fascinating . . . a wonderful mix of the author’s deep knowledge of history and economics and his understanding of human psychology, told in an engaging and personable style . . . Money: A Story of Humanity will not only give you a deeper appreciation of that banknote in your pocket or that depressingly small number in your current account, but also of how such things shaped the world around us, our lives and our communities' ― Irish Independent

‘A tour de force of economic history that manages to be erudite, authoritative and engaging . . . His account is peppered with memorably colourful - and sometimes spicy - details that will grab the attention of experts and lay people alike . . . After reading this, you will never look at your bank account in the same way again’

-- Gillian Tett

About the Author

David McWilliams is a global economist, writer and broadcaster whose unique ability to communicate complex societal and economic structures is unparalleled. Having worked at the Central Bank of Ireland, he became a faculty member at Trinity College, Dublin business school. He's been described as being to economics what David Attenborough is to the natural sciences and Brian Cox is to physics.