The late Peter L. Bernstein was President of Peter L. Bernstein, Inc., an economic consulting firm for institutional investors he founded in 1973, after many years of managing billions of dollars in individual and institutional portfolios. Bernstein was also the author of ten books on economics and finance, including the bestselling Capital Ideas, Capital Ideas Evolving, and Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk. His writing combines the zest of a historian with the meticulous analytical powers of an economist.

"Bernstein's book is a fascinating read, especially in light of the recent run-up in the price of gold. Should gold once again be viewed as a currency, as so many commentators have suggested? Were he still alive, Bernstein might laconically answer, 'Read my book.'" (Seeking Alpha, May 2012)

• Foreword ixAcknowledgments xiiiPrologue: The Supreme Possession 1A Metal for All Seasons1. Get Gold at All Hazards 92. Midas’s Wish and the Creatures of Pure Chance 183. Darius’s Bathtub and the Cackling of the Geese 384. The Symbol and the Faith 525. Gold, Salt, and the Blessed Town 666. The Legacy of Eoba, Babba, and Udd 747. The Great Chain Reaction 858. The Disintegrating Age and the Kings’ Ransoms 969. The Sacred Thirst 114The Path to Triumph10. The Fatal Poison and Private Money 13511. The Asian Necropolis and Hien Tsung’s Inadvertent Innovation 15812. The Great Recoinage and the Last of the Magicians 17513. The True Doctrine and the Great Evil 19814. The New Mistress and the Cursed Discovery 21915. The Badge of Honor 23916. The Most Stupendous Conspiracy and the Endless Chain 260The Descent From Glory17. The Norman Conquest 28318. The End of the Epoch 30619. The Transcending Value 32820. World War Eight and the Thirty Ounces of Gold 346Epilogue: The Supreme Possession? 367Notes 373Bibliography 397Index 409

The late Peter L. Bernstein was President of Peter L. Bernstein, Inc., an economic consulting firm for institutional investors he founded in 1973, after many years of managing billions of dollars in individual and institutional portfolios. Bernstein was also the author of ten books on economics and finance, including the bestselling Capital Ideas, Capital Ideas Evolving, and Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk. His writing combines the zest of a historian with the meticulous analytical powers of an economist.

"Bernstein's book is a fascinating read, especially in light of the recent run-up in the price of gold. Should gold once again be viewed as a currency, as so many commentators have suggested? Were he still alive, Bernstein might laconically answer, 'Read my book.'" (Seeking Alpha, May 2012)

• Foreword ixAcknowledgments xiiiPrologue: The Supreme Possession 1A Metal for All Seasons1. Get Gold at All Hazards 92. Midas’s Wish and the Creatures of Pure Chance 183. Darius’s Bathtub and the Cackling of the Geese 384. The Symbol and the Faith 525. Gold, Salt, and the Blessed Town 666. The Legacy of Eoba, Babba, and Udd 747. The Great Chain Reaction 858. The Disintegrating Age and the Kings’ Ransoms 969. The Sacred Thirst 114The Path to Triumph10. The Fatal Poison and Private Money 13511. The Asian Necropolis and Hien Tsung’s Inadvertent Innovation 15812. The Great Recoinage and the Last of the Magicians 17513. The True Doctrine and the Great Evil 19814. The New Mistress and the Cursed Discovery 21915. The Badge of Honor 23916. The Most Stupendous Conspiracy and the Endless Chain 260The Descent From Glory17. The Norman Conquest 28318. The End of the Epoch 30619. The Transcending Value 32820. World War Eight and the Thirty Ounces of Gold 346Epilogue: The Supreme Possession? 367Notes 373Bibliography 397Index 409