Money Audiobook By David McWilliams cover art

Money

A Story of Humanity

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Money

By: David McWilliams
Narrated by: David McWilliams
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Buy for $21.93

Buy for $21.93

*AS HEARD ON RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK*

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
A 2024 BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE OBSERVER, ECONOMIST, FINANCIAL TIMES AND PROSPECT

‘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
_______________________________________________________
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?
_______________________________________________________

‘A fun history of money told through the stories of the chancers, cheats, scoundrels and geniuses who made it happen’ KATIE MARTIN
‘An impressive journey that fizzes with facts’ ECONOMIST

‘An eye-opening history of what makes the world go round’ EVENING STANDARD

‘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 Economic History Money World Capitalism Imperialism Ancient History Economics Taxation Socialism

Critic reviews

‘A hugely ambitious, insightful and readable account of our relationship with money' (Felix Martin)
‘A cracking book that is as enjoyable as it is readable’

(Peter Frankopan, author of 'The Silk Roads')
‘An eye-opening history of what makes the world go round’
'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 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)
'Equally entertaining and insightful' (Yanis Varoufakis)
‘A tour de force of economic history that manages to be erudite, authoritative and engaging . . . After reading this, you will never look at your bank account in the same way again’

(Gillian Tett)
'Pacey chapters make for a series of entertaining – and at times irreverent – tales which relay a story of money that we all should know!' (Linda Yueh, author of The Great Crashes: Lessons from Global Meltdowns and How to Prevent Them)
‘David McWilliams is the best explainer of economics I know. Here he explains the world through money, and it’s fantastically entertaining. He's the kind of writer who makes you feel clever, because he helps you grasp things you never understood before’ (Simon Kuper, author of 'Chums: How a Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories took over the UK')
‘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)
‘McWilliams is charismatic, free flowing, unflaggingly engaging’ (Fintan O’Toole)
‘McWilliams has a great knack for bringing a complex economics story to life. He is also funny. In economics, that's a rare and persuasive combination’
‘Compelling, funny and original. If there's one person who can turn an economic history of the world into a page turner, it's David McWilliams'
(Katja Hoyer, author of Beyond the Wall)
'A fun history of money told through the stories of the chancers, cheats, scoundrels and geniuses through the ages who made it happen' (Katie Martin, columnist at the Financial Times)
All stars
Most relevant
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.

Pulling back the veil from filthy luekers history.

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Very well narrated. Full of interesting facts and explained in a way for the layman to understand and grasp the realities of money , both of old and modern applications.

Excellent listen

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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.

Good book. Does David understand Bitcoin? I’m not sure.

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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

Very insightful

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I was genuinely surprised by how good this books is! It’s everything I hoped it to be and more.

Extremely insightful

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