What is money? -- Getting money's measure -- The Aegean invention of economic value -- The monetary maquis -- The birth of the money interest -- The natural history of the vampire squid -- The great monetary settlement -- The economic consequences of Mr. Locke -- Money through the looking-glass -- Strategies of the sceptics -- Structural solutions -- Hamlet without the prince : how economics forgot money ... -- ... And why it is a problem -- How to turn the locusts into bees -- The boldest measures are the safest -- Taking money seriously.

What is money, and how does it work? This book unfolds a panoramic secret history and explains the truth about money: what it is, where it comes from, and how it works. It rearranges your understanding of the world and shows how money can once again become the powerful force for freedom we have ever known.