While Niall Ferguson's book does present some interesting history on how a system of money and finance came into existence, it is probably something that could be better read in a condensed format somewhere else.

This book is peppered with self-aggrandizing comments, and "I-called-its", that makes it a bit tough to believe, and would probably work better in an informal personal blog than a formal history. It is true that no history is completely objective, but the author should at least have that intention.

As one final note the book lacks consistency. It jumps from one event to another with no set reason, and seems to accelerate to current times (1990-2008) and stay there for over half the book. Any explanations of financial products, like puts, options, swaps, bonds, etc...are not easy to understand, and might as well be left out.
In closing, save your credit and just google blogs on the financial crises, or finance history, you will find much the same material, and at least you will have visual aids.

Of all the wild chimeras which have in all ages haunted the minds of fantastic dreamers none has taken so great a hold on its votaries, as the search for the Elixir Vitae or means of prolonging human life beyond its allotted span.

So starts the introduction to the Hermippus Redivivus. An 1885 book written by the obscure German intellectual, John Henry Cohausen. Only 350 copies where privately printed in Edinburgh, one of which got sent to Harvard University and is now digitized and available to the world through Google books.

The work is edited by Edmund Goldsmith of who the above quote is attributed, and was penned with good reason given the obscure nature of the work.

Cohausen himself is drawing deep on obscure work to create his work. Digging all the way back to Roman times in which remains an inscription that tells of a man, L. Clodius Hermippus, who lived to the age of 115 years by breathing in the breath of young women. In this case, young can be taken to mean children, and whether or not it was purely women is contested...in case anyone decides to try this at home.

According to a review of the work written by Sabine Baring-Gould in his book Curiosities of Olden Times Cohausen covers in great detail of how much salubrious "young" air would be needed to prolong life, and how the myth might have been manufactured from the viewing of mouth to mouth resuscitation of an old woman by a young lady.

It should be noted that as the story goes with the Roman, Clodius Hermippus, he probably had no such intimate relations, but more just surrounded himself with children so as to breathe in their air.

Cohausen takes things a step further, suggesting the need for direct mouth to mouth resuscitation, and even suggesting the possibility of distilling a young woman's breath into a potent elixir of youth.

As charming and pleasingly logical the notion is, the idea today, alas, is considered as nothing more than hot air.

The Story of India by Michael Wood takes us on a historical journey from the first human migrations to present day. The book contains interesting and surprising facts, like Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin all appear to have originated from one common root.

Indeed, listening to the story, one can’t help but feel India was affected by the presence of many empires, British being the most recent.

Interestingly the story goes on to Muslim(Mughal) rulers in the 1500-1700s who actually tried to unite religions, and even dreamed of instituting a state under the rule of reason and not religion. Quite a dream, and arguably one that has yet to be achieved in our more enlightened times.

The 1500-1700s was a time when India was powerful and presided over some 100 million people, quite a contrast to England’s then 3 million. Quite amazing that colonization ever occurred, though India's disparity of class, wealth, and religion, probably played a part in their fall to the British.

India, however, came out of colonization with its culture intact. Indeed, one could say that commonwealth of nations of the former British empire is almost a kind of joke to India, now a nation that has come into its own still rich with all the diversity of its past.

From the long view, the increase in India’s economy is not so much something new, but more a returning to its former state of 200-300 years ago.

India is home to many religions and cultures including Hindu, Muslim, Jain, and Parsee. I enjoyed this read and strongly recommend it. The Story has also got made into a BBC (and PBS) series, which I plan to watch some day. Though in my mind the T.V. series are often slower than books with less information, but being able to see all the sights, people, and landmarks will be great.

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