The Ascent of Money
A Financial History of the World
How money, credit, and finance shaped human history.
The Ascent of Money traces the evolution of finance from ancient lending and the birth of banking through bonds, stock markets, insurance, and real estate. Niall Ferguson argues that the development of money and credit has been as central to human progress as any technology. The book connects historical bubbles and crashes to the patterns behind modern financial crises.
Founders raise capital, manage cash, and navigate markets that all rest on financial instruments whose logic this book makes intuitive. Understanding how credit, risk, and bubbles have repeated across centuries gives founders perspective on funding cycles and the fragility behind exuberance.
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