Financial consultant and economic historian Bernstein tells how people have become intoxicated, and empires have risen and fallen, over the shiny metal. He begins with such myths as Jason and the Argonauts, Midas, and the Golden Calf. Then he narrates the invention of coinage, the transformation of gold into money, and the establishment of the gold standard, and the freeing of currency from that standard. The text is a companion to a French television series and is a reprint of a 2000 work. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)