Though over 100 years old, this short monograph remains one of the most vivid descriptions of the damage that government control over money can do, as White describes the late 18th century inflation that the French government inflicted on its people. Making use of good economic theory and a thorough command of the history, White’s provides a compelling indictment of how economic ignorance combined with an unconstrained state can lead to misery. Many of the lessons in this book could still be learned by politicians in our own day.