We Need to Talk About Inflation: 14 Urgent Lessons from the Last 2,000 Years

Stephen D. King

May 2023 · Gildan Media · Narrated by Jonathan Cowley

About this audiobook

A myth-busting explanation of inflation, the desperate gullibility of central bankers and finance ministers-and our abject failure to learn from history From investors and monetary authorities to governments and policy makers, almost everyone had assumed inflation was dead and buried. But now people the world over are confronting a poisonous new economic reality and, with it, the prospect of vast and increasing wealth inequality. How have we arrived in this situation? And what, if anything, can we do about it? Celebrated economist Stephen D. King-one of the few to warn ahead of time about the latest inflationary upheaval-identifies key lessons from the history of inflation that policy makers chose not to heed. From ancient Rome through the American Civil War and up to the asset bubbles of today, inflation stems from policy error, sovereign greed, and a collective loss of faith in currencies. We Need to Talk About Inflation cuts through centuries of bad judgment and misunderstanding, offering a means to intervene now-so we can begin to tackle the political and social upheaval unleashed by inflation.

About the author

Stephen D. King is senior economic adviser at HSBC, is a columnist for the Evening Standard, and has also been a specialist adviser to the House of Commons Treasury Committee. He is the author of Losing Control, When the Money Runs Out, and Grave New World.

Jonathan Cowley is a British voice actor who calls Los Angeles home. He has received AudioFile Earphones Awards for his narration of The Science of Evil by Simon Baron-Cohen, The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart, and The Angry Chef's Guide to Spotting Bullsh*t in the World of Food by Anthony Warner.