A History of Money: From Ancient Times to the Present Day

This is a straight-forward, readable account, written with the minimum of jargon, of the central importance of money in the ordinary business of the life of different peoples throughout the ages from ancient times to the present day. Includes the Barings crisis and the report by the Bank of England on Barings Bank; up-to date information on the state of Japanese banking and the changes in the financial scene in the US. It also touches on the US housing market and the problem of negative equity. The paradox of why more coins than ever before are required in an increasingly cashless society is clearly explained, as is the role of the Euro coin as the lowest common denominator in Europe s controversial single currency system.