Ferguson is the most brilliant British historian of his generation ... he writes with splendid panache The Times One of the world's leading historians -- Hamish McRae Independent [Praise for The Ascent of Money] Beautifully written... Breathtakingly clever -- Martin Van Weyer Sunday Telegraph [Praise for The Ascent of Money] The tales he tells of boom and bust of triumph and disaster, of bubbles that inflate... are the very essence of financial history -- Bill Emmott Financial Times [Praise for The Ascent of Money] An often enlightening and enjoyable tour through the underside of great events, a lesson in how the most successful great powers have always been underpinned by smart money