false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173191735m/255133.jpg 255133 5 <B>The remarkable story of the Renaissance's preeminent financiers. "A swift and brilliant synthesis of finance, politics, and history."&#151;Ben Sisario, <I>New York Times Book Review</I></B><BR><BR>Their name is a byword for immense wealth and power, but before their renown as art patrons and noblemen the Medicis built their fortune on banking&#151;specifically, on lending money at interest. Banking in the fifteenth century, even at the height of the Renaissance, meant running afoul of the Catholic Church's prohibition against usury. It required more than merely financial skills to make a profit, and the legendary Medicis&#151;most famously Cosimo and Lorenzo ("the Magnificent")&#151;were masterly in wielding the political, diplomatic, military, and even metaphysical tools that were needed to maintain their family's position.<BR><BR>In this brisk and witty narrative, Tim Parks uncovers the intrigues, dodges, and moral qualities that gave the Medicis their edge. Vividly evoking the richness of the Florentine Renaissance and the Medicis' glittering circle, replete with artists, popes, and kings, Medici Money is a brilliant look into the origins of modern banking and its troubled relationship with art and religion. 14 illustrations. 747479 2005 Medici Money: Banking, Metaphysics, and Art in Fifteenth-Century Florence (Enterprise) (Enterprise) total:46|5:7|4:19|3:14|2:3|1:3| 46 162 87 8 255133 0393328457 9780393328455 44 8 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173191735m/255133.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255133.Medici_Money_Banking_Metaphysics_and_Art_in_Fifteenth_Century_Florence 4 0 false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Oct 01 22:30:20 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 12:16:11 -0700 2009 2
Believe it or not, it's a quick read, a good subway or airport book.....and a sobering commentary on the persistence of human folly.

Parks covers the financial and economic topics with a...more...]]> 255133 0393328457 9780393328455 44 8 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173191735m/255133.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255133.Medici_Money_Banking_Metaphysics_and_Art_in_Fifteenth_Century_Florence 4 0 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Oct 07 02:04:33 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 07 02:18:39 -0700 2008 more...]]> 255133 0393328457 9780393328455 44 8 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173191735m/255133.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255133.Medici_Money_Banking_Metaphysics_and_Art_in_Fifteenth_Century_Florence 4 0 false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 26 09:38:21 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 07 07:05:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 255133 0393328457 9780393328455 44 8 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173191735m/255133.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255133.Medici_Money_Banking_Metaphysics_and_Art_in_Fifteenth_Century_Florence 0 0 false Wed Aug 26 08:32:20 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 08:34:40 -0700 2009 255133 0393328457 9780393328455 44 8 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173191735m/255133.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255133.Medici_Money_Banking_Metaphysics_and_Art_in_Fifteenth_Century_Florence 3 0 false Fri Jan 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 31 17:46:49 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 31 17:50:07 -0800 2008 more...]]> 255133 0393328457 9780393328455 44 8 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173191735m/255133.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255133.Medici_Money_Banking_Metaphysics_and_Art_in_Fifteenth_Century_Florence 4 0 false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Oct 20 08:27:07 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 20 08:30:14 -0700 2007 255133 0393328457 9780393328455 44 8 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173191735m/255133.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255133.Medici_Money_Banking_Metaphysics_and_Art_in_Fifteenth_Century_Florence 3 0 false Thu Sep 25 06:18:07 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 25 06:19:10 -0700 2008 255133 0393328457 9780393328455 44 8 3.52 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