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

Very good book, but the audible version is not updated

I really liked the book. The author is didactical and able to explain the ascent of money and it peculiarities through the history. I’m addition the author not only write about history, but also provides his views and share, with it, his personal knowledge and perspective. My only point regarding the book is that, probably because of the year that it was written, it focus too much on the 2008 crisis and less in the many centuries before. Anyhow a great book and highly recommended.

For the audible version, it was a disappointing because I bought in the same detail page of the Anniversary edition, but it is not this edition, missing therefore a few chapters.

Excellent

Should be a textbook for every American kid to learn about the role of finance in shaping world history and our lives today. Although a little heavy and dry at times, I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in finance or money as a must read! Also the British narration is delightful...all audiobooks should be read by British accents!

The Book About What I Didn't Know About Money

I would only recommend this book to people who had an interest in money.
Things I especially liked about it were Otto von Bismarck advice to Germany's post WWI politicians, the discussion of the Bond Market and its beginning which were an after math of Waterloo, and the comparison of socialism in Japan and England. This was a very interesting and informative read/listen. I loved the book so much that I bought it in hard back afterword to have better access to the information.

Enjoyable to listen to

If you could sum up The Ascent of Money in three words, what would they be?

Very enjoyable to listen to. I very much liked the narration by Simon Prebble.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Ascent of Money?

What money meant for different civilizations, religions, and people is astonishing.

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Any additional comments?

The idea of this book is excellent. It gives a good picture on how the need for banking started.

A very traditional perspective of finance

Historical perspectives are useful to understand how things involved.

Informative, but Narrative Sometimes Confusing

What did you like best about The Ascent of Money? What did you like least?

Provides an introduction to private sector and nation state finance through relevant and interesting historical figures and happenings. Occasionally the historical narrative gets in the way of providing a clear, concise, and overall comprehensive explanation.

Great book on economic history and money markets

Niall Ferguson again does not disappoint. His ability to draw upon economic history to weave a narrative is exceptional. I have read a number of his other books and they are also excellent. Can not wait for the next installment.

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.