The Ascent of Money
People interested in the complete financial history of the world should definitely put “The Ascent of Money” on their list of books to read. Historian Niall Ferguson takes readers through a complete history of the financial world, from the ancient city of Babylon all the way to the 2008 global financial crisis.
Understanding the deep financial history of the world gives a greater perspective and under-standing of how the finance world operates. “The Ascent of Money” tries to accomplish this by highlighting milestones such as the Babylonian futures contracts and Francisco Pizarro’s exploitation of the Cerro Rico de Potosí—a mine that yielded silver for Europe.