The History of Money

By: Jack Weatherford

Narrated by: Victor Bevine

Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

From primitive man's cowrie shells to the electronic cash card, from the markets of Timbuktu to the New York Stock Exchange, The History of Money explores how money and the myriad forms of exchange have affected humanity, and how they will continue to shape all aspects of our lives--economic, political, and personal.

Listen to An Interview with Author Jack Weatherford.

©1998 Jack Weatherford (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Very good history; older text

The book was written in the mid-nineties, so some of the predictions seem dated. *However* the history is very good and well worth the read. I enjoyed the breadth of the topic and the author did a nice job of organizing the work. Recommended.

Fascinating listening, but outdated

Would you listen to The History of Money again? Why?

The author did a fantastic job of making a very dry subject interesting, with obscure anecdotes from all eras of history. I do in tend to listen to it again.

Would you recommend The History of Money to your friends? Why or why not?

I recommend it to anyone who is fascinated by mankind's history of commerce, and how it evolved.

Which scene was your favorite?

It is a history.

Any additional comments?

One major flaw is that the author has not released a revised edition. The last three chapters are embarrassingly outdated, referring to things that 'might happen in the 21st century,' most of which have already, or are in the process of happening. Some of his speculations are off track, like an old scifi book. If he rewrote the last three chapters, I think it would expand to 10 more, and I would love to hear his treatment of cybercurrency. I am certain those chapters would be as riveting as the first 19.

great book, full narration

I have read several Jack Weatherford books and loved them all. They are absolute page turners, I was excited to listen to one on audiobook. It was brutal. The voice will put you to sleep.

Great book

Truly an amazing book about money, and how history always repeat itself, and how people can wake up and start making better financial decisions.

interesting but elementary

Interesting and educational, but too much unrelated side tracking. subject matter also does not get into much depth, leaving me to think it was all pretty obvious, but I had never thought of it clearly before.

Excellent Explanaition of Money—Very Easy Listen

Couldn't put it down. It's a fascinating history of mankind and man's power struggles from the viewpoint of money and modes of trade. It gives an excellent insight into what money really is.

I'm a fairly avid consumer of history books. After reading it, I'd say any study of history is incomplete without a perspective like this.

It's written by an anthropologist and the content seems quite scholarly. Yet, as an anthropologist the writer is an outsider to the world of economics and so uses everyday terms that are easy for a layman to understand. There were only a few points in the book where I found it difficult to follow

I worked in the financial markets for years but have never come across an overview like this: I finished the book with a vastly improved understanding of the true nature of money and how inflation occurs. It's an excellent little book.

It is quite old - published in 1997, so could probably do with some updates. It predates the Euro and the General Financial Crisis which stemmed from the misuse of derivatives. These were big events on the money time line. For all that, the writer does have pretty clear forward vision - he was spot on in anticipating new electronic and non-state regulated currencies such as BitCoin

My only complaint was with the reader. He's clearly a professional so he was OK I guess, but I found his tone rather affected in parts. Especially towards the beginning.it often sounded as though he's providing commentary on a budget US real life murder mystery TV program. Every now and again he also reads a quote from an English person with an affected English accent. Why he didn't do the Roman, Greek, French , German and other foreign characters in their native accents I don't know. His style just seemed a bit inappropriate for this sort of book. It was definitely distracting at times. Either he dropped it as the book went on or I got used to it. Either way, I'd forgiven him by chapter 15.

That little niggle aside, there's no getting away from the quality of the book. It's easy enough to listen to that could I drive, or cook wit it or it on sleep and nod off in 15 minutes ( I always rewind the next day). But it's also rich with content and perspective that you will struggle to find anywhere else without reading 10 volumes.

If you're interested in history or economics and want something light, insightful, informative and entertaining, I'd strongly recommend it.

Very Good but Dated

What made the experience of listening to The History of Money the most enjoyable?

Very good explanations. Revealing.

Any additional comments?

For 1997, this is a great history of money. I would welcome a new edition. It does not touch on the tech bubble or the sub prime crash.

I was hoping for a discussion of new digital money, like bitcoin. For "digital money", it discussed network transactions for credit cards and banking transactions.

I recommend this book for its discussions of the early history of money.

Very interesting and thought provoking

What made the experience of listening to The History of Money the most enjoyable?

It was highly enjoyable because it gave me a greater understanding of the way the world works. He gave a story of a certain eb and flow of history that makes the listener more knowledgeable than before.

Who was your favorite character and why?

NA

Did Victor Bevine do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, this is a non-fiction book but his tone of voice made it clear when he was switching topics.

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

I would want to, theoretically but that is not very realistic.

Great book, though needs an update

This is a fantastic book by an excellent author. However, it needs an update, especially in the realm of modern monetary situations and in regards to the importance and relevance of the internet. A lot has happened between 1997 and now.

Fascinating

A bit dry and historical, but none the less a fascinating history. A good reflection as to the relationship of money, the world economy and our society.