Coined - Kabir Sehgal

Money isn't just coins, bank notes or clamshells; it is more than a store of value or unit of payment. It's an idea, a transformative player in how we view, cope, and harmonise with the world. Like it or not, money is a measure of status, well-being, and our chances to survive and thrive. Money isn't just what makes the world go around; it is largely what makes each of us go around.

In Coined, Kabir Sehgal travels the world while presenting a multidimensional portrait of currency through the ages. He explores the origin of exchange in the Galapagos Islands, searches for hoards of coins from an ancient civilization in Bangladesh, and learns about the art that appears on money from coin collectors in Vietnam. He takes you from the vaults beneath the Federal Reserve in New York to a beehive where pollen can be understood as a natural form of exchange. He details the birth of money, to its place in our culture both past and present, to how the obsession for it can lead to death and destruction, all the while mixing engaging and entertaining stories from the front lines of global currency exchange with extensive, thoughtful research. The story of money is rich and varied because it is our story.

Kabir Sehgal works in strategy at First Data Corporation, a global payment technology firm. He was previously a vice president at J.P. Morgan, advising asset managers on investments in emerging markets. A New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, he has written five books. He is also a jazz musician and Grammy-winning producer. He serves as an officer in the US Navy Reserve and is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the London School of Economics.

A fascinating account that weaves together history, philosophy, and personal anecdotes. [Kabir Sehgal] provides insights that are both riveting and thought-provoking
Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Steve Jobs

Kabir Sehgal has done us a great service in writing this book
Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and founder of Grameen Bank

Coined doesn't resemble any of the usual text books on money. For one thing, it's actually fun to read - and Kabir Sehgal will stimulate your thinking about our financial crisis and banking
Paul Volcker, former Chair of the Federal Reserve

Well-written. Clever. Innovative. This amazing book will get you thinking about money in completely new ways.
If you want to understand how money has impacted the human condition, for better or worse, and how it will continue to shape our behavior, read this book
Sheila Bair, former Chairman of the Federal Deposit Corporation

An ideal book for anyone interested in understanding how money has impacted our world. [Kabir Sehgal's] thought provoking and impressive writing style makes this an enjoyable and educational read
William H. Rogers, Chairman & CEO, SunTrust Banks

This book takes you through money, its history and its future. Kabir is brilliant. Read it
Timothy Draper, Founding Partner, Draper Fisher Jurvetson

This fresh and captivating book will make us rethink what money is and even how we corporate leaders make financial decisions
John Somerhalder II, Chairman & CEO, AGL Resources

In his excellent book, Kabir Sehgal entices the reader to think differently about money . . . By emphasizing the link between money and obligations, Sehgal develops a deeper understanding of the nature of the most important institution in our modern economy
L. Randall Wray, Professor, Economics, University of Missouri-Kansas City and author of Modern Money Theory

Kabir Sehgal brings a much needed voice to the conversation about the role of money and meaning in our lives. This is a necessary and transformative read that you won't want to put down
Adam Braun, New York Times bestselling author and Founder of Pencils of Promise

With wide-ranging insights from anthropology to chemistry, the Akkadian Empire to Bitcoin, Sehgal deftly tells the past, present - and most importantly, the future - of money
Dr. Parag Khanna, Senior Fellow, New America Foundation, and author of The Second World and How to Run the World

Kabir Sehgal succeeds where most have failed. In a world where central banks have been printing record amounts of money only to find that money does not buy real growth and prosperity, Kabir re-creates true value, meaning and power that money has for our communities, nations and all humankind. This is a must read for anybody with a savings account or a credit card
Jesper Koll, Managing Director, Head of Japan Research, J.P. Morgan

Coined is a difficult book to put down because almost every page contains history, facts, and stories about the world's economic growth, which will astound the reader . . . So many interesting and entertaining facts about money have not appeared before in one volume
Harvey G. Stack & Lawrence R. Stack, Founders, Stack's Bowers Rare Coins

The best things in life are free, but ever since civilization began money has had a profound impact on humanity. Kabir's book brings the story of currency to life and is worth spending a few of your hard-earned coins on
Sir Richard Branson

An exceptional examination of the history of money. Kabir has written an engaging narrative that spans thousands of years and introduces readers to important people who have impacted the chronicle of currency
Jimmy Carter, Former US President

Kabir Sehgal takes readers on a wide ranging, fascinating, and thought-provoking tour of the historical, economic, cultural, religious, political, artistic, religious, neurological and even futuristic story of money
Anat Admati, author of The Bankers New Clothes

In perhaps the most fun treatment of money since the Beatles, Kabir Sehgal takes us on a round-the-globe time-traveling tour of our favorite medium of exchange. After reading Coined, you'll never think of those pieces of metal jangling around in your pocket in quite the same way
Neil Barofsky, Former Inspector General of Troubled Asset Relief Program, and author of Bailout