As a young bank employee in 1950s London, fledgling financier Christopher Ondaatje reflected on the fact that
assigning monetary value to an otherwise nearly worthless piece of paper deemed it instantly powerful. It is an observation that compelled him to explore the remarkable power that paper holds and what it means for our future.
   Whether as a lasting record of our ideas or as a vessel of capitalist currency, paper has long interested Ondaatje as a symbol of our civilization. Now, in The Power of Paper, the bestselling author undertakes a fascinating journey, both historical and personal, to examine its significance. From the creation of the earliest manuscripts, through the production of the first monetary notes in 10th-century China, to the explosion of printing in the Renaissance and into the business world of today, this revealing book transforms ordinary objects into items that speak volumes of who we are. Armed with a far-ranging historical knowledge, Ondaatje takes us along on his personal forays into the world of paper, a world of high finance and even higher stakes.
Moving from his beginner steps in London banking and then on to Canada, we follow Ondaatje as his