Money Tales

The history of economics is a spicy cocktail of ideas and dreams, of human errors and strong views, of irrational and strategic choices. It is filled with innovations, discoveries, and accidents that ignited trade, made and broke bankers and merchants, corrupted religious men, and formed politicians. In example after example, Legends and Myths in Economics shows that money, sex, and ego are the three big engines that have driven mankind. This book is a short presentation of legends and myths in economics. Its stories range from the economic crisis in Rome that led to its invasion of Egypt to Christopher Columbus's happy mistake in discovering America. Its characters include everyone from the pirates of the Spanish Main to Levi Strauss, inventor of blue jeans. Rendered in this way, the "dismal science" needn't be so dismal after all.