Capitalism: A Graphic Guide

by Sharron Shatil, Dan Cryan, Piero (Illustrator)

Capitalism shapes every aspect of our world, beyond just our economic structures; it moulds our values and influences the way we write laws, wage wars and even conduct personal relationships. From its beginnings to the present day, A Graphic Guide tells the story of capitalism’s remarkable and often ruthless rise, evolving through strife and struggle as much as innovation and enterprise. This non-fiction graphic novel explores the key developments that have shaped our modern world, from early banking to the Opium Wars, financial crashes, the rise of service economies and concerns about sustainability. It also introduces us to the leading proponents and critics of capitalism, providing both a theoretical and practical understanding of this fascinating subject.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2019

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative. Provides a helpful outline of the both the general history and functioning of capitalist economic systems without offering judgement either way.

[Lou-ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing at times and the illustrations just aren’t up to the standards of a graphic guide.

[Arundhati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually buy Kindle editions of books but since it was a graphic guide, I couldn't resist buying the physical copy. As it turns out, the graphics weren't particularly impressive. Just economics/thinkers postulating the gist of their principles in speech bubbles. It does divert you a little though and makes it feel less like a textbook.

This book was otherwise fascinating. It deals with the history and evolution of capitalism, right from the first banks up to the modern liberal capitalism that has permeated throughout the world.

I gave it four stars because there were a few places where the timelines were not explicitly mentioned, like an economist's ideas would be explained without mentioning the timeline, which was odd and inconsistent. I'd have given it 4.5 but unfortunately there's no such option :(

[Paul Whitla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little book that explains the origins and development of capitalism, alternative theories of economic systems, and major modern criticisms of capitalism;ism.

While the graphics probably encouraged me to read through the full text, which I might not have done for an ordinary text only version of this material, the graphics themselves weren’t particularly informative or helpful. The vast majority of the graphics are stylised portraits of various economists with thought bubbles protruding.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about capitalism and its history, with black and white illustrations. The book begins centuries ago and lightly covers the development of markets and economies along the way, ending with discussion of 20th-century thought.

I liked the information presented by the book, though I think it could have gone deeper and included a broader perspective, including more on workers and labor. I was not a fan of the illustrations, as they seemed crudely drawn and repetitive. The last few pages have a solid “further reading” list which seems like a great resource for more detailed reading.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weirdly omits neo-colonialism/imperialism from the discussion of the breakup of the British and French empires, and overall just didn't feel like the use of graphics and illustrations was effective or added much to the text compared to other nonfiction/explanatory graphic books. Parts of it were really interesting but overall it felt unfocused.

[Devi · Rating 4 out of 5]

All major events, theories in the timeline of economics are explained lucidly in the format of an easy to follow narrative wrapped in big fontsize and amusing, relevant illustrations.

[Logan Godbout · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very concise history of Capitalism. It covers the fundamentals of what Capitalism is, and factually compares them to other systems. I felt a slight bias in the authors perspective, and it was a lot to take in from a single reading. Not so much a sit-down book as it is browsing reference.