Coined : the rich life of money and how its history has shaped us

by Kabir Sehgal     (Find the Book)
Sehgal worked for Lehman Brothers and had a front-row seat when it failed. Now a vice president with J.P. Morgan, the author has a self-professed obsession to understand money. This book was written not to be a definitive work but to spark the reader's curiosity about the subject. Divided into three sections, it covers the mind (why—biology, psychology, and anthropology), the body (what—hard, soft, and future), and the soul (how—values and creativity) of money. From the history of currency as a storage of surplus value to the future of it as digital legal tender, Sehgal investigates it all with best- and worst-case scenarios. Using a bit of a scattergun approach, he takes the reader from the Galápagos Islands, the vaults under New York City, and excavations in Bangladesh as he shows that money is a symbol of what man values. While the study of money can be a never-ending pursuit, the author acknowledges that just as humankind has shaped and created money, so money has shaped and created civilization. VERDICT While not an exhaustive discussion of money's history and future, Sehgal's book is a worthwhile treatment for the curious. --Library Journal