''Money makes the world go around.'' From the earliest bartering systems to today's sophisticated electronic transfers of billions of dollars in a split second, systems of exchange have conferred value upon goods and services and created the economic glue that binds individuals, businesses, communities, and nations together. We use it every day, and yet most of us have little understanding of how it really works. In this volume, Mark Dobeck and Euel Elliott present a colorful history of money in its economic, political, socio-cultural, and even psychological context. The first section focuses on banks and financial institutions, and includes discussion of checks and paper money and types of banks and finance companies. The next part covers the role of currency in national sovereignty; the impact of technology on money and global finance; debt, credit, and equity; and money markets. The final chapters look at financial markets and innovation, with discussion of risk management and such controversial and timely issues as emerging investment instruments and the future of money in an electronic age. Featuring a glossary and timeline, charts and graphs, index and references, Money is an engaging introduction to this vital component of the economy.