Description

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"Refreshingly clear, sharp, and funny, How to Speak Money will help you understand not only what the language of finance means but also why it matters." —James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds

To those who don’t speak it, the language of money can seem impenetrable. Fortunately, John Lanchester—the best-selling novelist and reporter hailed by The Economist for "explain[ing] complex stuff in a down-to-earth and witty style"—is here to bridge the gap between the money people and the rest of us. With wit and candor, Lanchester explains more than 300 common words and phrases from "AAA rating" and "amortization" to "yield curve" and "zombie bank."

About the Author

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John Lanchester  is the author of five novels, including The Debt to Pleasure and Capital. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages, and he is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books. He lives in London.

Praise For…

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Mixes the helpful, the sarcastic and the entertaining…[with] a touch of Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary about it.

— Jim Higgins - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

An idiosyncratic collection of short, sharp essays translating the jargon of finance with admirable concision and wit.
— Peter Sokolowski - New York Times Book Review

Lays out the case for financial literacy and then provides an essential glossary of terms for those who would like to achieve this happy state.
— Sarah Lyall - New York Times

A hugely enjoyable book…Lanchester is a kind of brainy Everyman, a brilliant communicator.
— Melanie Reid - The Times

An entertaining and informative read…Witty, provocative and engaging.
— Evening Standard

Insightful and often funny…An invaluable primer.
— Ian Critchley - Sunday Times

One of the world’s great explainers of the financial crisis and its aftermath.
— Michael Lewis

Reading this book is like meeting an easy-going guy at a cocktail party who can explain everything that’s always mystified you about high finance—‘inverted yield curve,’ anyone?—with sparkle, wit, and crystal clarity. And if you’re already a finance-insider, you’ll get a kick out of Lanchester’s sly ironies.
— Jim Holt, best-selling author of Why Does the World Exist?