Money Changes Everything

William N. Goetzmann is the Edwin J. Beinecke Professor of Finance and Management and director of the International Center for Finance at the Yale School of Management. His books include The Origins of Value: The Financial Innovations that Created the Modern Financial Markets and The Great Mirror of Folly: Finance, Culture, and the Crash of 1720.

"A comprehensive overview of monetary history." --- "The title of William Goetzmann’s book states: 'Money changes everything.' This much rings true, and it probably is. Goetzmann’s volume offers compelling evidence in support of the thesis stated in the title from a variety of interesting, informative and illustrative cases in world history."---Giorgio Baruchello, European Legacy --- "No one book can capture all there is to know about financial history. But Money Changes Everything comes awfully close to a comprehensive review of financial infrastructure. . . . The intersection of war, nation-building, finance, mathematics, and even art is given exhaustive analysis in this book. . . . Goetzmann's work is a fascinating tour through the history of currency, finance, probability, and risk."---David R. Henderson, Regulation --- "In Money Changes Everything, Mr. Goetzmann draws on objects in Yale's extensive historical collections to tell his exciting story. . . . His excitement with such artifacts is palpable."---Edward Chancellor, Wall Street Journal --- "A must-read for anyone interested in the history of finance." --- "This fascinating book rehabilitates finance by examining its 5,000 years of history."---Martin Wolf, Financial Times --- "Goetzmann weaves his expertise in finance, architecture, archaeology, sinology, and art history into a wonderfully rich tapestry. Goetzmann's enthusiasm for his topic is infectious. . . . Goetzmann has written a wonderfully erudite book in a way which is accessible to a wide audience. This book should be compulsory reading for all finance professionals and anyone with an interest in economics, finance, or history. If you want to understand how money changes everything, then Goeztmann's magnum opus is a must-read."---John D Turner, Economic History Review --- "The book is replete with fascinating historical tales and figures, including an option payoff diagram developed by Henri Lefèvre in the mid-1800s. Well-written and engaging, Goetzmann's book is a wonderful resource for those interested in learning more about the historical role of finance and its potential for addressing future challenges." --- "Goetzmann offers an extraordinarily wide-ranging and thorough investigation of financial activity from earliest times to the present day, and his enthusiasm for the subject and his lively writing style make the topic much more engaging than one might expect. The immense breadth of his research means that every reader, no matter how expert in history or finance, will learn much. . . . The book has something for everyone."---Peter Acton, Australian Book Review --- "William Goetzmann's Money Changes Everything is a thorough look at finance and world history, a 5,000-year journey that demonstrates the pivotal role of free market capitalism in building nations and serving human interests." --- "Rigorously researched and extremely enjoyable to read, Money Changes Everything enhances investors' understanding of contemporary markets."---Bruce Grantier, Financial Analysts Journal --- "Money Changes Everything is altogether a splendid book."---Mark Gamin, D&O Diary --- "A panoramic historical sweep packed with interesting nuggets. . . . All very enjoyable, and I'd say essential for anyone interested in financial history." --- "A most pertinent and brave publication. . . . This hefty, worthy book, really is a historical eye-opener." --- "Money Changes Everything is a treasure, unequalled in scope, unparalleled in depth of insight. . . . This is a must-read for anyone in finance or who wants to find out what it's about." --- "[A] magnificent history of money and finance." --- "Its strength is the effort it makes to set money not only in its economic context, but also in its wider social and cultural setting."---Warwick Lightfoot, Financial World --- "A remarkable work of synthesis and scholarship, the book affords a deep perspective to anyone trying to grapple with current problems in the role of finance and financial regulation in a civilized society."---Elie Canetti, Finance & Development --- "Full of fascinating nuggets and extremely well researched."---Tim Harford, Undercover Economist --- "In the fallout from the Great Recession, it's been commonplace to vilify those working in the financial-services industry. But Goetzmann argues that finance is a worthwhile endeavor, beyond just earning a ton of money: Its innovations have made the growth of human civilization possible."---Bourree Lam, TheAtlantic.com --- "Money Changes Everything is . . . A tactile and visual history. It is rich with illustrations, and often reported from ground level as Goetzmann travels to dusty European archives or to sites of historical financial significance. . . . Goetzmann's careful, brick-by-brick approach to financial history convincingly makes the case that finance is a change-maker of change-makers."---Pietra Rivoli, Financial Times --- "Let me say simply that everyone who is curious about the history of finance will be richly rewarded by reading this book."---Linda Jubin, Investing.com --- "An accessible survey that does a fine job of reallocating past, present, and future." --- "Tactile and visual . . . . Goetzmann's careful, brick-by-brick approach to financial history convincingly makes the case that finance is a change-maker of change-makers." --- "Money Changes Everything--a history of finance over three millennia--provides a welcome antidote to the incessant banker-bashing we've witnessed in recent years. Without finance, after all, civilized life could scarcely exist."" --- "Fascinating. . . . [B]rilliantly illuminated by scores of vivid examples, generously illustrated with a wealth of pictures, comprehensive in its geographical and temporal scope, and in my view almost entirely convincing."---Felix Martin, New York Times Book Review --- "One of Bloomberg’s Best Books of 2016" --- "One of Financial Times (FT.com) Best Economics Books of 2016"