The Book of Money

Money is big in the news. Banks have collapsed, the property bubble has burst and national debts are at almost unimaginable levels. The Book of Money will help you understand what is happening. Mentioning terms such as the 'financial market' and 'global economy' are daunting prospects, even without the added dreaded notion of recession. Money, and our worldwide struggles with them, is a constant source of doom and gloom news bulletins, leaving us fearing for our savings and bank balances. More often than we consider, this anxiety is down to our lack of understanding of how the economic climates and financial systems work. The Book of Money will demystify and explain economics to help you understand the modern financial world, and answers all the questions you were too afraid to ask. This beautifully illustrated book, with full colour photography, offers comprehensive diagrams to explain the most baffling of systems such as 'Who Owes What?' with national debts, an accurate portrayal of how tax is spent, and the World's top 20 banks' assets. It shares a potted history of how money came to life, charting the rise of the shekel in the Mesopotamian civilisations, the 'Lydian Lion' and profiles of notable figures who wrote about money, such as Adam Smith and Karl Marx. You can explore the many different types of banks with descriptions of how they function, varieties of bonds and how they can affect you, the structures of hedge funds and how the criminality and money intertwine through fraud, rogue states and cybercrime.