Collectively, mankind has never had it so good despite periodic economic crises of which the current sub-prime crisis is merely the latest example. Much of this success is attributable to the increasing efficiency of the world's financial institutions as finance has proved to be one of the most important causal factors in economic performance. In a series of insightful essays, financial and economic historians examine how financial innovations from the seventeenth century to the present have continually challenged established institutional arrangements, forcing change and adaptation by governments, financial intermediaries, and financial markets. Where these have been successful, wealth creation and growth have followed. When they failed, growth slowed and sometimes economic decline has followed. These essays illustrate the difficulties of co-ordinating financial innovations in order to sustain their benefits for the wider economy, a theme that will be of interest to policy makers as well as economic historians.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1881.

Tracing the evolution of polo from its origins in Central Asia to its current manifestation as a professional sport that attracts wealthy sponsors and patrons, this sociological study examines how polo has changed according to the economic and cultural differences of the nations and continents where it is played. One hundred historic and modern photographs are included.

This comprehensive volume provides a balanced and easily readable account of the rise of modern sleep medicine, its history and developmental milestones. Authored by an international group of experts, the remarkable progress and fascinating evolution from rudimentary concepts of the ancient prehistoric and early classical periods to our contemporary knowledge are covered in detail. These examples and their relationship to modern therapies offer neurologists, psychiatrists, respiratory specialists, clinicians, researchers and those interested in sleep medicine an important perspective to the origins of current practice.

A record of University life and work.