Money has been part of human history for at least the past 5,000 years in some form or another. Historians generally agree that a system of bartering was likely used before this time.

Thus, money, by design, is such that there have to be rich and poor in society for it to have any value. There must be people who have a surplus of it, while the rest desire to have a surplus of it.

Traditionally, two theories on the origin of money exist. The first is the commodity theory, which proposes that money was developed to facilitate internal barter between community members.

The history of money itself is fascinating–and helps to explain how it works today. Some of the six books selected here take on the daunting, perhaps impossible, task of tracking the entire ...

Money’s history is extensive, yet modern currencies are primarily supported by the state’s management of the economy and inflation through fiat currency.

With them, I want to share a brief history of how American women gained access to money and their role in finance over the last four decades. As a man, I found so much of what I learned from my ...

In his seminal work, "The Origin of Money" (1892), Carl Menger outlines how money emerges naturally from the processes of trade and barter.

The Austrian School of Economics offers a unique and insightful perspective on the origin of money and the concept of sound money. Foundational figures such as Carl Menger, Ludwig von Mises ...