Reviews
"A nice addition to any investor's coffee table. Large and lavishly illustrated, it's a collection of essays by leading scholars on everything from the invention of interest in ancient Samaria to bonds in early America."--Barron's, "A lively history of finance.... The book is gorgeous. You can see the crimson illumination on the Ligatio pecuniae and read the fine print on a futures contract from the Dutch West India Co. Each chapter is a minihistory written by stars like Niall Ferguson and Robert Shiller, who explain in rich prose the connections between Chinese pawnshops, Greek moneylenders and, ultimately, the cash in your pocket."--Jyoti Thottam, Time Magazine"Possibly the first book designed expressly for Wall Street coffee tables."--The Economist"A nice addition to any investor's coffee table. Large and lavishly illustrated, it's a collection of essays by leading scholars on everything from the invention of interest in ancient Samaria to bonds in early America."--Barron's"A fascinating and insightful guide to the evolution of our modern financial system, set in its broad historical context so that the reader always sees the big picture." --Matthew Bishop, Business Editor, The Economist, and author of Essential Economics"The Origins of Value makes an important contribution to our understanding of global financial history. It suggests connections across Eurasia (e.g. possible Chinese origin of tallies used in early Medieval Europe, or the roots in ancient Indian mathematics of formulas used by Italian merchants), and plausible answers to important historical questions, like the thirteenth-century divergence, in fiscal terms, of China and Western Europe. The reproduced documents allow readers to see how scrutinizing records of the distant past requires almost as much ingenuity as the fiscal innovations that are the focus of discussion." --James D. Tracy, author of Emperor Charles V, Impresario of War: Campaign Strategy, International Finance, and Domestic Politics, "A lively history of finance.... The book is gorgeous. You can see thecrimson illumination on the Ligatio pecuniae and read the fine print on afutures contract from the Dutch West India Co. Each chapter is a minihistorywritten by stars like Niall Ferguson and Robert Shiller, who explain in richprose the connections between Chinese pawnshops, Greek moneylenders and,ultimately, the cash in your pocket."--Jyoti Thottam, Time Magazine, "A lively history of finance.... The book is gorgeous. You can see the crimson illumination on the Ligatio pecuniae and read the fine print on a futures contract from the Dutch West India Co. Each chapter is a minihistory written by stars like Niall Ferguson and Robert Shiller, who explain inrich prose the connections between Chinese pawnshops, Greek moneylenders and, ultimately, the cash in your pocket."--Jyoti Thottam, Time Magazine, "A lively history of finance.... The book is gorgeous. You can see the crimson illumination on the Ligatio pecuniae and read the fine print on a futures contract from the Dutch West India Co. Each chapter is a minihistory written by stars like Niall Ferguson and Robert Shiller, who explain in rich prose the connections between Chinese pawnshops, Greek moneylenders and, ultimately, the cash in your pocket."--Jyoti Thottam, Time Magazine "Possibly the first book designed expressly for Wall Street coffee tables."--The Economist "A nice addition to any investor's coffee table. Large and lavishly illustrated, it's a collection of essays by leading scholars on everything from the invention of interest in ancient Samaria to bonds in early America."--Barron's "A fascinating and insightful guide to the evolution of our modern financial system, set in its broad historical context so that the reader always sees the big picture." --Matthew Bishop, Business Editor, The Economist, and author of Essential Economics "The Origins of Value makes an important contribution to our understanding of global financial history. It suggests connections across Eurasia (e.g. possible Chinese origin of tallies used in early Medieval Europe, or the roots in ancient Indian mathematics of formulas used by Italian merchants), and plausible answers to important historical questions, like the thirteenth-century divergence, in fiscal terms, of China and Western Europe. The reproduced documents allow readers to see how scrutinizing records of the distant past requires almost as much ingenuity as the fiscal innovations that are the focus of discussion." --James D. Tracy, author of Emperor Charles V, Impresario of War: Campaign Strategy, International Finance, and Domestic Politics, "The Origins of Value makes an important contribution to our understanding of global financial history. It suggests connections across Eurasia (e.g. possible Chinese origin of tallies used in early Medieval Europe, or the roots in ancient Indian mathematics of formulas used by Italianmerchants), and plausible answers to important historical questions, like the thirteenth-century divergence, in fiscal terms, of China and Western Europe. The reproduced documents allow readers to see how scrutinizing records of the distant past requires almost as much ingenuity as the fiscalinnovations that are the focus of discussion." --James D. Tracy, author of Emperor Charles V, Impresario of War: Campaign Strategy, International Finance, and Domestic Politics, "A lively history of finance.... The book is gorgeous. You can see the crimson illumination on the Ligatio pecuniae and read the fine print on a futures contract from the Dutch West India Co. Each chapter is a minihistory written by stars like Niall Ferguson and Robert Shiller, who explain in rich prose the connections between Chinese pawnshops, Greek moneylenders and, ultimately, the cash in your pocket."--Jyoti Thottam, Time Magazine"Possibly the first book designed expressly for Wall Street coffee tables."--The Economist"A nice addition to any investor's coffee table. Large and lavishly illustrated, it's a collection of essays by leading scholars on everything from the invention of interest in ancient Samaria to bonds in early America."--Barron's"A fascinating and insightful guide to the evolution of our modern financial system, set in its broad historical context so that the reader always sees the big picture." --Matthew Bishop, Business Editor, The Economist, and author of Essential Economics"The Origins of Value makes an important contribution to our understanding of global financial history. It suggests connections across Eurasia (e.g. possible Chinese origin of tallies used in early Medieval Europe, or the roots in ancient Indian mathematics of formulas used by Italian merchants), and plausible answers to important historical questions, like the thirteenth-century divergence, in fiscal terms, of China and Western Europe. The reproduceddocuments allow readers to see how scrutinizing records of the distant past requires almost as much ingenuity as the fiscal innovations that are the focus of discussion." --James D. Tracy, author of EmperorCharles V, Impresario of War: Campaign Strategy, International Finance, and Domestic Politics"A lively history of finance.... The book is gorgeous. You can see the crimson illumination on the Ligatio pecuniae and read the fine print on a futures contract from the Dutch West India Co. Each chapter is a minihistory written by stars like Niall Ferguson and Robert Shiller, who explain in rich prose the connections between Chinese pawnshops, Greek moneylenders and, ultimately, the cash in your pocket."--Jyoti Thottam, Time Magazine"Possibly the first book designed expressly for Wall Street coffee tables."--The Economist"A nice addition to any investor's coffee table. Large and lavishly illustrated, it's a collection of essays by leading scholars on everything from the invention of interest in ancient Samaria to bonds in early America."--Barron's"A fascinating and insightful guide to the evolution of our modern financial system, set in its broad historical context so that the reader always sees the big picture." --Matthew Bishop, Business Editor, The Economist, and author of Essential Economics"The Origins of Value makes an important contribution to our understanding of global financial history. It suggests connections across Eurasia (e.g. possible Chinese origin of tallies used in early Medieval Europe, or the roots in ancient Indian mathematics of formulas used by Italian merchants), and plausible answers to important historical questions, like the thirteenth-century divergence, in fiscal terms, of China and Western Europe. The reproduceddocuments allow readers to see how scrutinizing records of the distant past requires almost as much ingenuity as the fiscal innovations that are the focus of discussion." --James D. Tracy, author of EmperorCharles V, Impresario of War: Campaign Strategy, International Finance, and Domestic Politics, "A lively history of finance.... The book is gorgeous. You can see the crimson illumination on the Ligatio pecuniae and read the fine print on a futures contract from the Dutch West India Co. Each chapter is a minihistory written by stars like Niall Ferguson and Robert Shiller, who explain in rich prose the connections between Chinese pawnshops, Greek moneylenders and, ultimately, the cash in your pocket."--Jyoti Thottam,Time Magazine "Possibly the first book designed expressly for Wall Street coffee tables."--The Economist "A nice addition to any investor's coffee table. Large and lavishly illustrated, it's a collection of essays by leading scholars on everything from the invention of interest in ancient Samaria to bonds in early America."--Barron's "A fascinating and insightful guide to the evolution of our modern financial system, set in its broad historical context so that the reader always sees the big picture." --Matthew Bishop, Business Editor,The Economist, and author ofEssential Economics "The Origins of Valuemakes an important contribution to our understanding of global financial history. It suggests connections across Eurasia (e.g. possible Chinese origin of tallies used in early Medieval Europe, or the roots in ancient Indian mathematics of formulas used by Italian merchants), and plausible answers to important historical questions, like the thirteenth-century divergence, in fiscal terms, of China and Western Europe. The reproduced documents allow readers to see how scrutinizing records of the distant past requires almost as much ingenuity as the fiscal innovations that are the focus of discussion." --James D. Tracy, author ofEmperor Charles V, Impresario of War: Campaign Strategy, International Finance, and Domestic Politics, "A fascinating and insightful guide to the evolution of our modern financial system, set in its broad historical context so that the reader always sees the big picture." --Matthew Bishop, Business Editor, The Economist, and author of Essential Economics, "An all-embracing historical survey of the financial innovations that have changed the world...this remarkable book gives us an invaluable historical perspective on a terrifying age of financial revolution." THES, December 2005
