Records of prices span the entire range of history, from medieval grain prices to modern statistics. Going beyond the economic data, this text gives a history of the people of the Western world: the economic patterns they lived in, and the politics, culture and society they created as a result.

Fischer has examined price records in many nations, and finds that great waves of rising prices in the 13th-, 16th-, 18th-, and 20th centuries were all marked by price swings of increasing volatility, falling wages, a growing gap between rich and poor, and an increase in violent crime, family disintegration, and cultural despair. 109 graphs & charts. 7 maps.

a provocative and thoughtful journey through history