When talking about the basics of money or currency, Richard Davies describes it as a “national bedrock that sits alongside anthems and flags”. Since he describes it as the foundation for a basic functioning society, the way he calls it a “confidence trick” or a “evolving paradox…yet resting on faith” gives you a good idea where he is going when reviewing Jacob Goldstein’s Money.

Davies brings it front and center with, “The main thread is set out right away: Money ‘seems cold and mathematical and outside the realm of fuzzy human relationships,’ Goldstein asserts. But it’s really ‘a made-up thing, a shared fiction. Money is fundamentally, unalterably social.’ ” The fixation on assigning a piece of paper, a rock, or mineral a monetary value is perplexing and Davies believes that Goldstein conveys this well and guides the Average Joe down an intellectual journey.