Dominic Frisby

‘Essential reading’ Rory Sutherland, author of Alchemy‘Possibly the best-timed book ever’ Merryn Somerset Webb, Bloomberg ‘A fabulous, fascinating, fantastical tale’ Matt Ridley, author of How Innovation Works‘Well-researched and razor-sharp’ Al Murray, comedian and historianGold (noun): A precious, yellow metal, prized for its beauty. Inert, immune to corrosion, highly malleable though with little utility. Seen as pure wealth. The definitive biography of the metal that has shaped our world – and may yet determine its fate. The Secret History of Gold tells the epic tale of the world’s oldest, and most treasured, currency. From its origins in the formation of the solar system to its pivotal role in both ancient myth and modern finance, Dominic Frisby explores, with wit and brevity, how gold has defined the entire course of human civilisation. Gold has inspired men to do the most brilliant – and terrible – things. The most stolen metal in history, it has lured explorers, conquerors and thieves. It has sparked wars, it has built empires, it has empowered leaders – from Alexander the Great to Adolf Hitler – good and bad. As nations today such as China and Russia mine and hoard gold at record rates, Frisby examines its enduring significance in the digital age and its potential to influence global peace and power. This is the untold story of gold: its past, its present and its future.

Death and taxes are our inevitable fate. We've been told this since the beginning of civilisation. But what if we stopped to question our antiquated system? Is it fair? And is it capable of serving the needs of our rapidly-changing, modern society? In Daylight Robbery, Dominic Frisby traces the origins of taxation, from its roots in the ancient world, through to today. He explores the role of tax in the formation of our global religions, the part tax played in wars and revolutions throughout the ages, why, at one stage, we paid tax for daylight or for growing a beard. Ranging from the despotic to the absurd, the tax laws of the past reveal so much about how we got to where we are today and what we can do to build a system fit for the future. Featured on Stepping up with Nigel Farage'An important book for investors in gold and bitcoin' - Daniela Cambone, Stansberry Research'This entertaining, surprising, contrarian book is a tour de force!' - Matt Ridley, author of The Evolution of Everything'In this spectacular gallop through history, Frisby shows how taxation has warped, stunted and thwarted human progress' - Mark Littlewood, Director General, Institute of Economic Affairs'Frisby's historical interpretation and utopian ideas will outrage Left and Right' - Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe and Member of the House of Commons Treasury Committee 'Fascinating book which exposes the political and economic basis of tax. A must read for those of us who believe in simpler, lower taxes' - Rt Hon Liz Truss, MP for South West Norfolk, Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade

With the accelerating onset of automation, the loss of manufacturing jobs in the west, a spiralling rise in income inequality, and the obvious failure of our welfare systems to provide those at the bottom of the economic ladder with a clear path out of poverty, many are looking for an alternative approach that will meet everyone's needs and guarantee them a dignified standard of living. Most prominent among these approaches is the Universal Basic Income (UBI) or Basic Income Guarantee (BIG). The idea is simple. Each and every citizen will be entitled to a sum of money from the government - regardless of their income or occupation. Not a huge sum of money, but enough to ensure that their basic needs were met and that they wouldn't gohungry. Advocates on the left claim it would close the poverty trap where people are deterred from joining the workforce by the potential loss of their benefits, while freeing people from the capitalist mindset where our only role is to produce something that others can consume so that we can consume things that others produce. Advocates on the right claim it will save the market economy from socialism and central planning, while removing the disincentive to work provided by the current welfare state and reduce bureaucracy and government waste by simplifying the complex array of benefits to one single payment. In this original take on the Universal Basic Income scheme, economist Antony Sammeroff explores the pros and cons of The Basic Income Guarantee, launching into an investigation of radical reforms to the economy which would help everyone gain more freedom and reach their grander aspirations. A truly inspiring, life affirming and rationally optimistic read.

Following the economic crisis of 2008, the website ‘bitcoin.org’ was registered by a mysterious computer programmer called Satoshi Nakamoto. A new form of money was born: electronic cash. Does Bitcoin have the potential to change how the world transacts financially? Or is it just a passing fad, even a major scam? In Bitcoin: The Future of Money?, MoneyWeek’s Dominic Frisby's explains this controversial new currency and how it came about, interviewing some of the key players in its development while casting light on its strange and murky origins, in particular the much-disputed identity of Nakamoto himself. Economic theory meets whodunnit mystery in this indispensable guide to one of the most divisive innovations of our time.