02473cam a2200301 i 4500 1670563243 TxGeo 20211101120000.0 200413s2020||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2020011586 9780316417198 hbk. 031641719X hbk. (OCoLC)1135584454 TxGeo rda Goldstein, Jacob. Money : the true story of a made-up thing / Jacob Goldstein. First Edition. New York, NY : Hachette Books, 2020. xiii, 257 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references and index. "What is money anyway, and where and why did it originate? According to Jacob Goldstein, this made-up thing has evolved over centuries and takes different forms based on technological advances, the needs of society, and often the crazy ideas of outliers on the fringes. Told through witty, historical anecdotes, Goldstein demystifies this ever-evolving tool from the invention of the first coins in Mesopotamia, to how China invented paper money centuries before it appeared in the west, how at one point in Sweden men carried giant "coins" on their backs to pay for goods, to the gold standard, pound sterling, origins of the Euro, mutual funds, bitcoin and a cashless society. Money presents entertaining tales of fascinating characters who fundamentally changed our monetary systems such as Genghis Khan, John Law, a convicted murderer and professional gambler, the Luddites, and the anarchist cyberpunks who created bitcoin. Through these major movements we see the rise and fall of various financial institutions: central banks, the stock market, the Federal Reserve, and the shadow institutions like Lehman Brothers that helped create the financial crisis of 2008. Lively and accessible and full of interesting tidbits (the word "banker" comes from the Venetian "bench sitters"-or "banchieri"-of the 1600s who guarded the gold) Goldstein looks at the evolution of money (whose definition appears to be, if we all agree it's money, then it is money) and confronts its true purpose and who it is supposed to be for"-- Provided by publisher. 20211119. Money History. QS5