If you don’t know a derivative from a sub-prime mortgage, Niall Ferguson’s book will enlighten you. Ferguson delivers a breezy history of money while going off on tangents like how the silver the Spanish took from the Incas actually caused financial problems for Spain and Europe. Money is a mixed blessing. However, Ferguson spends most of his time on explaining the financial intricacies of the past century which contributed to our current fiscal meltdown. Ferguson is a good storyteller which helps when trying to hold readers’ attention during a potential eye-glazing description of how the Federal Reserve system works.