Before there was money, there was debt. Every economics textbook says the same thing: Money was invented to replace onerous and complicated barter systems—to relieve ancient people from having to haul their goods to market. The problem with this version of history? There’s not a shred of evidence to support it.

Here anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom. He shows that for more than 5,000 years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods—that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era, Graeber argues, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors.

Graeber shows that arguments about debt and debt forgiveness have been at the center of political debates from Italy to China, as well as sparking innumerable insurrections. He also brilliantly demonstrates that the language of the ancient works of law and religion (words like “guilt,” “sin,” and “redemption”) derive in large part from ancient debates about debt, and shape even our most basic ideas of right and wrong. We are still fighting these battles today without knowing it.

Debt: The First 5,000 Years is a fascinating chronicle of this little-known history—as well as how it has defined human history, and what it means for the credit crisis of the present day and the future of our economy.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Little Brother, comes a major novel about the booms, busts, and further booms awaiting America.

Perry and Lester are inventors of quirky creations like seashell robots that make toast and Boogie Woogie Elmo dolls that drive cars. They also devise new economic systems, such as the "New Work," a modern-day New Deal for the technological era.

As barefoot bankers traverse the nation, microinvesting in tech-savvy communal startups like Perry and Lester's, they transform the country. Andrea Fleeks, a journo-turned-blogger, captures the unfolding events.

However, the story takes a turn as the New Work bust overshadows the dot-com bomb. Perry and Lester create a network of interactive rides in abandoned Wal-Marts, celebrating the New Work's heyday. But jealousy arises from a rogue Disney executive, who manipulates the police into believing that their 3D printers are producing illegal weapons.

Goths flock to the shantytown erected by the New Workers, forming a cult. Meanwhile, lawsuits fly as venture capitalists adopt a new strategy: backing litigation against giants like Disney. The once-solid friendship between Lester and Perry crumbles when Lester undergoes the 'fatkins' treatment, turning him into a sybaritic gigolo.

And then, things get really interesting...