Popes and Bankers: A Cultural History of Credit and Debt, from Aristotle to AIG by Jack Cashill
Published in 2010 by Thomas Nelson Publishers Jack Cashill's Popes and Bankers: A Cultural History of Credit and Debt, from Aristotle to AIG is, in most cases, an entertaining, fast-paced dash through the history of debt and lending. Negatives: It is correctly subtitled "A Cultural History of Credit & Debt, From Aristotle to AIG" because it is simply "a" history. It is not definitive, in any way. It is simply one part of a much larger story. Popes & Bankers focuses on Western Culture, especially Italy, England, Germany, France, Holland and the United States. Nary a mention of Asia, Africa, or even the Muslim world - I found only one passing comment about sharia banking. Cashill ignores nearly a billion people who follow a religion that outlaws usury. Cashill also ignores post-Marx Europe. Cashill covers lots of topics here, but has no index. Ignoring these topics creates as many questions as he attempted to answer in this book. Positives:...