David Graeber's "fresh...fascinating...thought-provoking...and exceedingly timely" (Financial Times) history of debt
Anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom: before there was money, there was debt. For more than five thousand years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods--that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era, Graeber argues, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors.
Graeber shows that arguments about debt and debt forgiveness have been at the center of political debates from Italy to China, as well as sparking innumerable insurrections. He also brilliantly demonstrates that the language of the ancient works of law and religion--words like "guilt," "sin," and "redemption"--derive in large part from ancient debates about debt and shape even our most basic ideas of right and wrong. We are still fighting these battles today without knowing it.
Debt: The First 5,000 Years is a fascinating chronicle of this little known history--as well as how it has defined human history and what it means for the credit crisis of the present day and the future of our economy.
About the Author :
David Graeber (1961-2020) was a professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics. He is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller The Dawn of Everything, as well as Debt: The First 5,000 Years and Bullshit Jobs: A Theory. He was a contributor to Harper's Magazine, the London Guardian, and The Baffler. An iconic thinker and renowned activist, his early efforts in Zuccotti Park made Occupy Wall Street an era-defining movement.
Grover Gardner is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the "Best Voices of the Century" and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.
Review :
"An alternate history of the rise of money and markets, a sprawling, erudite, provocative work."
-- "Bloomberg Businessweek "
"Controversial and thought provoking, an excellent book."
-- "Booklist"
"Fresh...fascinating...Graeber's book is not just thought provoking but also exceedingly timely."
-- "Financial Times (London)"
"Graeber's book has forced me to completely reevaluate my position on human economics, its history, and its branches of thought."
-- "Stranger "
"One of the year's most influential books."
-- "Guardian (London)"
"Terrific...In the best anthropological tradition, he helps us reset our everyday ideas by exploring history and other civilizations, then boomeranging back to render our own world strange and more open to change."
-- "Globe and Mail (Toronto)"
"The book is more readable and entertaining than I can indicate."
-- "Observer (London)"
"The world of borrowing needs a little demystification, and David Graeber's Debt is a good start."
-- "L magazine"
"This timely and accessible book would appeal to any reader interested in the past and present culture surrounding debt, as well as broad-minded economists."
-- "Library Journal"
