The Euro: That Newfangled Funny-Money!

Is there any better way to kick off the New Year than to issue a new currency to 300 million people living in 12 European countries? Heck, no! It's the Euro!

Despite widely held fears of massive computer crashes and riots in the streets, the doomsday crowd was baffled by the Euro's nearly flawless launch as 2002 began. At the same time, pundit-types rolled out a clever new buzzword to describe the shop-happy delight of countless Europeans embracing the novelty of this wacky new money: "europhoria!"

Stirred up by some europhoria of their own, several armed bank robbers in Spain were some of the first to get their hands on the new loot, bagging 90,000 euros in the first Euro-robbery ever. (How much is that in U.S. dollars? Who knows??)

Whether you yourself are into europhoria, europhobia, eurotrash, or euro sandwiches (or is that "gyro"?), you might enjoy one of the money-related books below, none of which will be phased out in the coming months.

Understanding the Euro
by Christian Chabot
If you're looking to get to know the new currency, this book will serve as a great introduction. It's both accessible and chock-full of information, and could prove especially useful to business professionals. Chabot examines all aspects of the Euro including its origins (Winston Churchill is acknowledged as the first to propose the idea), the ideas behind it, and the immense logistics of its implementation. If you've got Euro questions, Chabot's probably got the answers.

The History of Money: From Sandstone to Cyberspace
by Jack Weatherford
With this engaging, wide-ranging work, Weatherford surveys the vast political, economic, and cultural changes that have transpired during the three millennia that money has been in existence. Along the way, he digresses about everything from the etymology of the word "dollar" to Nero's predilections for money meddling to the elimination of the gold standard. Time will tell if Weatherford's prediction for the future of money -- in which he envisions cash only existing electronically -- will come to pass, but for now, The History of Money remains an entertaining page-turner that looks deep into the heart of Mammon, with surprising results.

Boggs
by Lawrence Weschler
James Stephen George Boggs is an artist. He draws money -- dollars, pounds, francs, all sorts of paper notes -- and then he sells his artwork, without trying to pass them off for real bills, in exchange for goods and services. After that, he turns around and sells proof of his transactions (such as receipts and change given) to his collectors, who often then go hunting for Boggs' original drawing. Somewhat understandably, such strange turns of events have gotten Boggs into trouble with the treasury department of several countries, but such controversy has only bolstered the artist's reputation. But…is he a real artist, or just a con artist? Is there a difference? And why do these little slips of paper have such supernatural power anyway? Prize-winning journalist Weschler looks into these questions in this lively examination of art and commerce that is sure to have you scratching your head and looking at your pocketbook through different eyes.

The Wealth and Povery of Nations: Why Are Some So Rich and Some So Poor?
by David Landes
There's been a lot of speculation about how the Euro might stand against the U.S. dollar, but what makes the dollar so strong to begin with? Here, Harvard historian Landes takes a crack at this and many other questions, as he attempts to unravel the riddle of economic development. It's a huge task, but Landes tackles it like a pro, providing just the right combination of information, theorizing, and narrative energy. Along the way, he contemplates not only politics and economics, but also geography, climate studies, and cultural assessments -- and all in just over 650 pages!

The Sum of Our Discontent: Why Numbers Make Us Irrational
by David Boyle
Does all of this money-talk just make your blood boil? If so, we heartily recommend this screed against number-crunching that takes on those who claim they can sum up the all the gnarls and knots of this world with statistics, top 10 lists, and, of course, pricetags. The Sum of Our Discontents is more than just one blowhard ranting "math sucks," it's actually an intelligent critique of the way we've come to understand our world, and it's written by one of the editors of New Economics magazine, no less. Given his background, it's easy to see how Boyle can both charm and educate us with his profiles of number-minded theorists like Robert Malthus, John Maynard Keynes, and Jeremy Bentham. Funny, provocative, and insightful.