Freaks of Fortune: The Emerging World of Capitalism and Risk in America

by Jonathan I. Levy

Book Overview

Until the early nineteenth century, "risk" was a specialized term: it was the commodity exchanged in a marine insurance contract. Freaks of Fortune tells the story of how the modern concept of risk emerged in the United States. Born on the high seas, risk migrated inland and became essential to the financial management of an inherently uncertain capitalist future.

Focusing on the hopes and anxieties of ordinary people, Jonathan Levy...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674736354
• ISBN13: 9780674736351
• Release Date: November 2014
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.3"