The Almighty Dollar
The Almighty Dollar by Brendan Greeleyby Brendan Greeley
Shares rank 4 of 5 economic history books by recommenders
Recommended for a clear history of how currency and the US dollar evolved, including 19th-century monetary regimes, regional variations, and private banknotes.
Recommended for a clear history of how currency and the US dollar evolved, including 19th-century monetary regimes, regional variations, and private banknotes.
2 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 2
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 2 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Clear history of currency evolution
“It is a great story of the evolution of currency in general and the dollar specifically.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “Bitcoin Has Longest Losing Streak Since August in Bruising Week” Covers 19th-century monetary regimes and banknotes
“It shows how we moved through a few different monetary regimes in the 19th century, including regional variations and private banknotes.”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “France is getting download tax for content providers (€0.055/GB)”
Other economic history books people recommend
The four most recommended other economic history books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debtby David Graeber | 19 | 2 | 90% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Great Transformationby Karl Polanyi | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| The Origin of Capitalismby Ellen Meiksins Wood | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| The Almighty Dollarby Brendan GreeleyThis page | 2 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| The Rise and Fall of American Growthby Robert Gordon | 2 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 2 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It shows how we moved through a few different monetary regimes in the 19th century, including regional variations and private banknotes.”
“It is a great story of the evolution of currency in general and the dollar specifically.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.