A story that describes the evolution of investing from 3000 BC in Mesopotamia to modern-day Wall Street. Written by financial historian Robert Sobel, it examines how people have approached money, risk and investing since the dawn of time. It discusses how money evolved through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and how it played a key role in the exploration and colonization of America. In the second half of the book Sobel focuses on the USA, where he chronicles the dramatic growth of large publicly traded corporations, the rise of Wall Street as a power centre, and the development of today's popular investment philosophies. Throughout the book, Sobel examines investment practices through the prism of risk and reward, demonstrating that the ability to assess accurately risk and reward has been the key to investment success throughout history. There are parallels and lessons for today's investor trying to make sense of the most volatile financial stock market in history.