Description:

"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." **

Review

“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*

“Insightful and often funny… An invaluable primer.”
- Ian Critchley, *Sunday 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

“ How to Speak Money is a wonderful and enlightening book. Refreshingly clear, sharp, and funny, it’ll help you understand not only what the language of finance means but also why it matters.”
- James Surowiecki, best-selling author of *The Wisdom of Crowds*

“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?*

“A terrific primer on financial jargon… Anyone who wants to understand the nightly news should keep this volume at hand.”
- Publishers Weekly

“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*

About the Author

John Lanchester is the author of five novels, including the bestselling Debt to Pleasure and Capital, as well as several works of nonfiction. His books have won the Whitbread First Novel Prize, the Hawthornden Prize, and the E. M. Forster Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in London.