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The Ascent of Money

A Financial History of the World

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About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson, read by Gareth Armstrong.

Behind each great historical phenomenon there lies a financial secret - Niall Ferguson uncovers the hidden stories behind history.

Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot. Call it what you like, it matters now more than ever. In The Ascent of Money, Niall Ferguson shows that finance is the foundation of all human progress and the lifeblood of history.

From the cash injection that funded the Italian Renaissance to the stock market bubble that sparked the French Revolution, from the bonds that fuelled Britain's war effort to the Wall Street Crash and today's meltdown, this is the story of boom and bust as it's never been told before.

Whether you're scraping by or rolling in it, there's no better time to understand the ascent of money.

 Economic History Economics World Money Banking Socialism Capitalism Thought-Provoking Taxation War Imperialism Wall Street Global Financial Crisis US Economy Stock Africa
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Like all abridged books, it seems too brief, missing the extra detail. Shame the unabridged isn’t available.

Good but too short

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Absolutely fascinating book albeit a tad dry at times.. I hear there is an accompanying TV series which I imagine is splendid.

The history of money

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Brilliantly narrated and full of history and interesting information and events throughout the financial history of the world.

Thank you.

Knowledge is power

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I loved every second of this book. Very thorough and witty. The narrator did a splendid job with reading the book. If you've ever wondered where it (money, the financial system as we know it) all started from, this is a great place to start. Such a great read (or rather listen).

The author deserves his coins, the narrator too!

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Too many repetitions for same thing, story went from one direction to other quickly. Otherwise some good points were made throughout the book.

Okayish book, far too repetitive.

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