The Evolution of Money

Even though money is something we all use every day, talking about it, defining it, and explaining are extremely arcane things to do. The tone is important, and The Evolution of Money goes about its task in a readable, breezy style that does not become glib. -- Paul Vigna, coauthor of The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order Money, religion, and government are the three ubiquitous and eternal human institutions. This important new book gives money a voice in the past, present, and future of human history. -- Parag Khanna, author of Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization Orrell and Chlupaty tackle two of the toughest questions in economics: What is money, and why does it have value? They present an intriguing definition of money and theory of money's value and a long history of money, weaving references through that history to current issues and dilemmas facing our society. -- Michael Kelly, Lafayette College A must-read for those who want to understand how money plays an even more important role in an exponentially changing digital society. -- Jan Muehlfeit, former chairman of Microsoft Europe The Evolution of Money is a masterpiece. It is rich in content and contains historical breadth-from prehistory (origins) to the future (utopia)-and analytical depth. Perhaps most remarkable, David Orrell and Roman Chlupaty have produced an economics book on money that is elegantly written. It is a work of great erudition that is mercifully free from jargon, sound bites, or obfuscations. Why can't all economists write like this? -- Jean-Pierre Lehmann, International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne We may think we know what money is, but Orrell and Chlupaty prove that we don't. They take us on a rich and stimulating journey through history and various fields including economics, physics, philosophy, and psychology to reveal the complex nature of money - its "quantum nature" consisting of both physical and virtual properties. The authors are at the very forefront of the economic revolution that they predict, leading us through a very enjoyable read that decodes what money is and what it is evolving to be. -- Ted Cadsby, author, Closing the Mind Gap: Making Smarter Decisions in a Hypercomplex World [Orrell and Chlupaty] show how money's increasingly elastic nature over the years has made the sharing economy and companies like Uber and Airbnb more effective. -- Harvey Schachter The Globe and Mail