The origins of money

TLDR: In this paper, a reprint of a lecture given in London in November 1970 but only published in!976 is presented, with references to later literature and references to the comments of George Dalton, who was kind enough to read it when he was visiting Cambridge in 1974.

Abstract: This paper is a reprint of a lecture given in London in November 1970 but only published in !976. The lecture form has been retained , but references to later literature have been inserted and the revision has greatly profited from the comments of my friend George Dalton of Northwestern University, who was kind enough to read .it when he was visiting Cambridge in 1974. Its main argument is briefly summarized in my (London: Oxford University Press , 1975), pp. 5-8. The lapse of nearly six years between the delivery of this lecture and its publication must, I fear, be blamed on a temperamental reluctance to commit to print what is at best only a very partial solution of a major historical problem. One of its consequences is that some of the original