Popes and Bankers: A Cultural History of Credit and Debt, from Aristotle to AIG

For the answer, Jack Cashill, a journalist as shrewd as he is seasoned, looks past the headlines and deep into pages of history and comes back with the goods. From Plato to payday loans, from Aristotle to AIG, from Shakespeare to the Salomon Brothers, from the Medici to Bernie Madoff-in Popes and Bankers Jack Cashill unfurls a fascinating story of credit and debt, usury and "the sordid love of gain."

With a dizzying cast of characters, including church officials, gutter loan sharks, and even...