This major reference collection presents in an accessible form the key articles and papers on the theory and history of financial crises. It includes both classic and contemporary writings on domestic financial crises, the transmission of crises between countries and the resolution of crises by both private and government authorities acting as lender of last resort.

The book is divided into five sections. Section I on theories of financial crises presents two rival approaches to financial crises; the monetarist approach and the Fisher-Kindleberger-Minsky approach. It also includes recent Rational Expectations approaches. Section II contains readings on financial crises in US history while Section III presents case studies for other countries. Section IV contains readings on the international transmission of financial crises. Section V concludes with a number of articles on the resolution of financial crises.

Financial crises have been a topic of perennial interest - perhaps as old as economic science. This landmark book makes a singular contribution by presenting the most significant literature on this important topic in an accessible form.