You will discover:How the earliest societies got by without a penny in their pockets.Why gold gets all the glory.How the first banks started making money from money.Who invented the first banknotes and the concept of 'fiat' money.The craziest money-making cons of all time, from shaving coins to selling the Eiffel Tower... twice.How wealth is measured in the modern-day.History's most expensive money mistakes.What money might look like in the future.Great tips for slick saving and smart spending.Plus, read about the world's weirdest wonga, from the four-tonne stones used as currency on the island of Yap, to teacups and sea shells in ancient Asia, to beaver pelts in colonial Canada. Learn how hyperinflation leads to some mind-blowing money maths, like the Bitcoins used to buy two pizzas in 2010 that would be worth GBP75 million today. Test your knowhow with a quiz at the back of the book.