The Ascent of Money
by Niall Ferguson
Mentioned once across 1 show · first heard Jun 2026 on Proven Podcast.
The general take
Garrett Gunderson thinks "The Ascent of Money" is a fascinating book that traces money's origins and evolution, offering useful perspective on how finance and accounting work. He appreciates how it provides historical context that helps understand today's financial world.
About
The 10th anniversary edition, with new chapters on the crash, Chimerica, and cryptocurrency "[An] excellent, just in time guide to the history of finance and financial crisis." — The Washington Post "Fascinating." —Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek In this updated edition, Niall Ferguson brings his classic financial history of the world up to the present day, tackling the populist backlash that followed the 2008 crisis, the descent of "Chimerica" into a trade war, and the advent of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, with his signature clarity and expert lens. The Ascent of Money reveals finance as the backbone of history, casting a new light on familiar events: the Renaissance enabled by Italian foreign exchange dealers, the French Revolution traced back to a stock market bubble, the 2008 crisis traced from America's bankruptcy capital, Memphis, to China's boomtown, Chongqing.
Who said what
Garrett Gunderson👍 Recommends
…books on financial history and evolution of money systems
“Like opportunity cost and finance and accounting or the ascent of money is a really fascinating book, which talks about how money started and its history of money and how that evolves. And it gives you really interesting perspective as we hear in today's world.”
Proven Podcast — The Daily Habits Behind Endless Income - Garrett Gundersonat 53:37
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