The Secret History of Gold - Myth, Money, Politics and Power

Gold is one the most crucial substances in human history. As the world''s oldest currency, it has built our global financial system as we know it, and defined our modern systems of rule in ways perhaps we don''t.

In The Secret History of Gold, Dominic Frisby tells the captivating story of this precious metal, from its curious origins in the formation of the solar system, through ancient myth and conquest to present day. He explores how our mercurial relationship with gold has shaped wars, progress and disaster throughout the ages and why, as one of the only lasting substances that represents and stores value, we still need it in a digital economy.

Gold has, and always will be, a political metal. And, as governments in China, Russia and others rush to buy and mine gold at the fastest rate in history, what does this indicate for the future of global peace and power?<>

About the author

Dominic Frisby is, unusually, both a financial writer and a comedian. For twenty years, he has a written a weekly blog column for Moneyweek about gold, while his Substack, The Flying Frisby, ranks among the UK’s top financial reads. He’s delivered a slew of ‘lectures with funny bits’ on everything from taxation to mining to weights and measures, as well as hosting two financial comedy shows for BBC Radio 4, More Money than Sense with Andy Zatzman, Shazia Mirza and Paul Sinha and Damned Lies with Sir David Spiegelhalter. His previous books, Life After the State, Bitcoin: The Future of Money? and Daylight Robbery, all tackle big ideas about money with both wit and clarity.

Product details

• Authors: Dominic Frisby, Frisby Dominic
• Publisher: Penguin Books Uk
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 28.08.2025
• EAN: 9780241728345
• ISBN: 978-0-241-72834-5
• No. of pages: 288
• Dimensions: 160 mm x 240 mm x 25 mm
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Business > General, dictionaries; Finance, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Future Studies, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Money & Monetary Policy, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economic History, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Forecasting, Economic history, Popular economics, economic forecasting, Currency / Foreign exchange, Finance and the finance industry