'If, as David McWilliams complains, economists take the fun out of money, then he is the exception that proves the rule: a man who could not write a boring sentence if he tried, and who, in this brilliantly informative and entertaining book, has done his subject splendid justice'

– Tom Holland

‘A breathtaking, expansive and imaginative ride through the history and future of Money from an author who truly understands it. If, like me, you’ve never quite figured out where money comes from or even what it is, this is the book for you’

– Professor Brian Cox

'Equally entertaining and insightful'

– Yanis Varoufakis

'Pacey chapters make for a series of entertaining – and at times irreverent – tales which relay a story of money that we all should know!'

– Linda Yueh, author of The Great Crashes: Lessons from Global Meltdowns and How to Prevent Them

‘David McWilliams is the best explainer of economics I know. Here he explains the world through money, and it’s fantastically entertaining. He's the kind of writer who makes you feel clever, because he helps you grasp things you never understood before’

– Simon Kuper, author of 'Chums: How a Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories took over the UK'

‘A timely, fascinating account of how money has powered life on our planet from Ireland’s superstar economist. Money is so often shrouded in secrecy and manipulated by forces we barely understand, so it’s refreshing to read a book that traces our relationship with it with such healthy irreverence!’

– Mariella Frostrup

‘McWilliams is charismatic, free flowing, unflaggingly engaging’

– Fintan O’Toole

‘McWilliams has a great knack for bringing a complex economics story to life. He is also funny. In economics, that's a rare and persuasive combination’

– Irish Times

‘If there's one person who can turn an economic history of the world into a page turner, it's David McWilliams.This book makes a compelling, funny and original case for the idea that money does indeed make the world go round’

– Katja Hoyer, author of Beyond the Wall