Details of microscopic granularity make this tome a pleasure. A breadth of trivial details (did you know that 16th century Paris tried to dress streetwalkers in Indian calico to reduce the demand for this import? did you know speculators became wealthy gambling on the outcome of the Revolutionary War? did you know that herrings were bought before they were caught in 1688?) that presage the modern financial markets. If you enjoyed Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles MacKay, Bernard M. Baruch you will enjoy this dense work.