The Ascent of Money

A Financial History of the World

By: Niall Ferguson

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of finance, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals on what he calls Planet Finance.

Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot, lucre, moolah, readies, the wherewithal: Call it what you like, it matters. To Christians, love of it is the root of all evil. To generals, it's the sinews of war. To revolutionaries, it's the chains of labor. But in The Ascent of Money, Niall Ferguson shows that finance is in fact the foundation of human progress. What's more, he reveals financial history as the essential back story behind all history.

Through Ferguson's expert lens familiar historical landmarks appear in a new and sharper financial focus. Suddenly, the civilization of the Renaissance looks very different: a boom in the market for art and architecture made possible when Italian bankers adopted Arabic mathematics. The rise of the Dutch republic is reinterpreted as the triumph of the world's first modern bond market over insolvent Habsburg absolutism. And the origins of the French Revolution are traced back to a stock market bubble caused by a convicted Scot murderer.

©2008 Niall Ferguson (P)2008 Tantor

Interesting Listen

Very informative, I recommend it but my only dislike was the narration--to me it was "flat" and I tired of the narrator before I tired of the information. But, again, that is just me.

Essential to an understanding of our world

If you want to understand our current economic system, the world financial crisis of 2008 and what will cause the next economic crisis, then you need to understand the roots of the system which perpetuates these booms and busts. It just might help you save your own shirt when others are losing theirs.

After listening to this book I have a far better understanding of the mundane side of money: loans, credit, stocks, bonds, insurance, etc. and I finally understand the many, seemingly crazy, financial institutions and instruments which are making and losing billions today. Believe it or not, they started out as good ideas that solved real problems, but as the years went on and clever and greedy men saw how to manipulate them, they became "financial weapons of mass destruction," as Warren Buffet so accurately named them.

I don't think the book pushes any particular political agenda. It seems more interested in the facts of the ascent of money than in any ideology. I liked that because it meant that I could evaluate the data without having to strip out a bias to left or right.

The narration was excellent and the style of the book is entertaining. It never gets dry or academic.

I highly recommend it.

Don't ignore due to the title

This is really a book about human nature. The author takes us through historical and the recent history of risk-based decision-making. Though a little slow at times, the inclusion of colorful characters kept me listening. In the end you can gleam insights for today's economy and a multitude of macroeconomic variables.

I love educated writers

I'm not on board with eveything Ferguson says but boy does he know how to write. he always has amazing coverage of all topics especially the more arcane areas dealing with Finance and Economica but erudite enough to go in details in culture, law, you name it. He also does it without being needlessly esoteric. Well done, I will start reading all his books now.

The author is worshipping evolution

That said he has a few decent insights without the prejudices of Public school indoctrination of America...

Great Book!

Loved the book, it has great insights into the history of finance. Honestly think this should be mandatory learning for everyone's financial wellbeing 😂

There are a few gems here…

And the author expresses them well.

I particularly liked his explaining why income is so important.

The audiobook is well narrated.

An Essential read for our times!

This book is a must read. Understanding the rise of money is like understanding the effects of money in relation to human behavior. The creation evolved from simple pieces of marked clay to hedge funds. Political relationship to money would be a great addition. Regardless this is a great book.

The history of money made interesting

I enjoyed listening to this book very much! It was an excellent breakdown of the various economic stages the world has gone through. I would listen to it again.

Great Job of conveying some complicated concepts

What did you love best about The Ascent of Money?

The author did a great job in using stories to tell the story of the history of the financial system and the history of economics. Really well written. I enjoyed it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This is probably not a book that you will want to listen to in one sitting, however, it is a book that you will want to listen to again. There is so much material -- covering numerous economic concepts and such a broad swath of history it is impossible to catch it all the first time through. However, it is also one of those you probably will not want to re-listen too right after you finish it the first time -- you may need a little break from the dense material!

Any additional comments?

The author did a really good job of making some dense and boring concepts understandable and interesting!