How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future

Daylight Robbery

Death and taxes are our inevitable fate. We've been told this since the beginning of civilisation. But what if we stopped to question our antiquated system? Is it fair? And is it capable of serving the needs of our rapidly-changing, modern society? 
 
In Daylight Robbery, Dominic Frisby traces the origins of taxation, from its roots in the ancient world, through to today. He explores the role of tax in the formation of our global religions, the part tax played in wars and revolutions throughout the ages, why, at one stage, we paid tax for daylight or for growing a beard. Ranging from the despotic to the absurd, the tax laws of the past reveal so much about how we got to where we are today and what we can do to build a system fit for the future. 
 
Featured on Stepping up with Nigel Farage 
 
'An important book for investors in gold and bitcoin' - Daniela Cambone, Stansberry Research 
 
'This entertaining, surprising, contrarian book is a tour de force!' - Matt Ridley, author of The Evolution of Everything 
 
'In this spectacular gallop through history, Frisby shows how taxation has warped, stunted and thwarted human progress' - Mark Littlewood, Director General, Institute of Economic Affairs 
 
'Frisby's historical interpretation and utopian ideas will outrage Left and Right' - Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe and Member of the House of Commons Treasury Committee 
 
'Fascinating book which exposes the political and economic basis of tax. A must read for those of us who believe in simpler, lower taxes' - Rt Hon Liz Truss, MP for South West Norfolk, Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade

With dazzling clarity, Frisby illuminates just how much of history is explained by arguments over tax, from Magna Carta to the American civil war to today's political debates. This entertaining, surprising, contrarian book is a tour de force

Matt Ridley, author of The Evolution of Everything

An engaging and informative trip through tax history that leads on to some radical suggestions for the future. A must-read for anyone thinking about how our tax system should be structured

A real page-turner! Dominic Frisby's historical interpretation and utopian ideas will outrage Left and Right. Both should read this book!

Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe, member of the House of Commons Treasury Committee

In this spectacular gallop through history, Frisby shows how taxation has warped, stunted and thwarted human progress. An absolute must-read for anyone who thinks higher taxes are the answer to our ills. Should be compulsory reading for anyone who aspires to high political office!

Mark Littlewood, Director General, Institute of Economic Affairs

A fascinating book which exposes the political and economic basis of tax. A must read for those of us who believe in simpler, lower taxes

Rt Hon Liz Truss, MP for South West Norfolk, Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade

It has been said that the income tax created more criminals than any other single act of government. Dominic Frisby masterfully delves into the fascinating topic of taxation, vividly bringing it to life

An utterly gripping account of the impact of taxes on the course of civilisation

A fantastic education on the surprising ways tax policies have shaped mankind's past and will impact our future

A brilliant book full of insights into how governments have fleeced us down the ages. This is a must read for anyone interested in how technology might at last tilt things back in favour of the citizen rather than the state

Douglas Carswell, MP for Clacton, Co-founder Vote Leave

How when and where we pay tax affects everything - how and where we work, how we save, when we retire, whether we marry or not, whether we live in houses we own or not and sometimes even how many children we have. Few of us think properly about the way this shapes our lives and societies. With this well-written and hugely engaging book Dominic Frisby might be about to change that

Merryn Somerset Webb, Editor in chief of Moneyweek

George Galloway, former Member of Parliament, broadcaster and bestselling author of I'm Not the Only One

Both amusing and informative, you'll come away with a much deeper understanding of what taxation is all about

Bill Bonner, bestselling author of Empire of Debt

Whether you think your taxes are fair or unfair, too high or too low, you need to read this book

Luke Johnson, British entrepreneur and Sunday Times columnist

A hugely readable, well-researched book about the history, reality and future of tax, which can draw the occasional chuckle! Also an informative tome, which raises important questions about how and why governments are funded

James Roberts, Political Director at the TaxPayers’ Alliance

A book about tax, that is readable, fascinating - and fun! Sounds impossible, I know. But that's what Dominic Frisby has written

This entertaining, easily read book will make you laugh and arm you for debates

Heather McGregor, Mrs Moneypenny, The Sunday Times

Frisby is a moonlighting phenomenon: a finance journalist by day and Edinburgh Fringe comedic star by night, he brings wit to the world of policy-wonkery in a way that is probably unique

Helen Dale, author of The Hand that Signed the Paper

Whatever your political leanings, you will find much to enjoy in this entertaining and educational romp through the history of taxation

Please let's let Dominic Frisby loose on the Treasury!

a fascinating book...educational and fun. You will enjoy it!

Dominic Frisby is, unusually, both a financial writer and a comedian. For twenty years, he has a written a weekly blog column for Moneyweek about gold, while his Substack, The Flying Frisby, ranks among the UK’s top financial reads. He’s delivered a slew of ‘lectures with funny bits’ on everything from taxation to mining to weights and measures, as well as hosting two financial comedy shows for BBC Radio 4, More Money than Sense with Andy Zatzman, Shazia Mirza and Paul Sinha and Damned Lies with Sir David Spiegelhalter. His previous books, Life After the State, Bitcoin: The Future of Money? and Daylight Robbery, all tackle big ideas about money with both wit and clarity.

Death and taxes are our inevitable fate. We've been told this since the beginning of civilisation. But what if we stopped to question our antiquated system? Is it fair? And is it capable of serving the needs of our rapidly-changing, modern society? 
 
In Daylight Robbery, Dominic Frisby traces the origins of taxation, from its roots in the ancient world, through to today. He explores the role of tax in the formation of our global religions, the part tax played in wars and revolutions throughout the ages, why, at one stage, we paid tax for daylight or for growing a beard. Ranging from the despotic to the absurd, the tax laws of the past reveal so much about how we got to where we are today and what we can do to build a system fit for the future.

Dominic Frisby

For anything and everything to do with gold, my most trusted source of information is Dominic Frisby

With both insight and his signature humour, Dominic Frisby tells the story of this extraordinary metal that has shaped empires and sparked madness. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the lengths human beings will go to for the promise of riches

Rory Sutherland, author of ALCHEMY and Vice Chairman of Ogilvy

The Secret History of Gold is a fabulous, fascinating, fantastical tale, told with panache by a superb taleteller about humanity's obsession with an eternal, imperishable, glittering metal

Matt Ridley, author of HOW INNOVATION WORKS

Dominic Frisby’s writings about economics and finance are, like his comedy, intelligent, beautifully crafted and always ahead of the curve. The Secret History of Gold is well-informed, utterly coherent and very, VERY timely

This book doesn’t just tell you about gold – it makes you feel its weight through history. It’s just so interesting. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the true currency of civilisation

A well-researched and razor-sharp history of the eternal mystery of gold: its value, its cost and its hold over human affairs – written with passion, principle and the occasional punchline

Possibly the best-timed book ever. As we move into our era of unsustainable debt all the big question about what money is and how it should be governed are coming to the fore again. Frisby’s sharp but straightforward analysis is a must read in a time when trust in everything else is diminishing

Understand the history of gold, and you start to see what politicians and central banks would rather you didn’t: how easy money enables wars, and how decades of monetary manipulation have quietly chipped away at living standards. Drifting ever further from gold as the anchor of the monetary system has led to many of the economic and political problems we’re living with today – as Dominic reveals with clarity and force

With impeccable timing, Dominic Frisby has written a brilliant guide to the eternal metal. Given that the price of gold is reaching all-time highs, gold fever is clearly in the air. And as trust in many other forms of wealth declines, now seems an excellent moment to discover the attractions and technicalities of gold. This book is a highly readable introduction to the most alluring material of all

Frisby entertains, impressively and convincingly … As a history, his tales – whether topical, historical or mythological – are well-turned, comprehensive and occasionally surprising ... a colourful and sly adversary to contemporary financial and political pieties

Myth, Money, Politics and Power

The Secret History of Gold tells the epic tale of the world’s oldest, and most treasured, currency. From its origins in the formation of the solar system to its pivotal role in both ancient myth and modern finance, Dominic Frisby explores, with wit and brevity, how gold has defined the entire course of human civilisation. 
 
Gold has inspired men to do the most brilliant – and terrible – things. The most stolen metal in history, it has lured explorers, conquerors and thieves. It has sparked wars, it has built empires, it has empowered leaders – from Alexander the Great to Adolf Hitler – good and bad. As nations today such as China and Russia mine and hoard gold at record rates, Frisby examines its enduring significance in the digital age and its potential to influence global peace and power.

Dominic Frisby

Praise for The Secret History of Gold

For anything and everything to do with gold, my most trusted source of information is Dominic Frisby

With both insight and his signature humour, Dominic Frisby tells the story of this extraordinary metal that has shaped empires and sparked madness. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand ...

The Secret History of Gold is a fabulous, fascinating, fantastical tale, told with panache by a superb taleteller about humanity's obsession with an eternal, imperishable, glittering metal

For anything and everything to do with gold, my most trusted source of information is Dominic Frisby

With both insight and his signature humour, Dominic Frisby tells the story of this extraordinary metal that has shaped empires and sparked madness. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand ...

The Secret History of Gold is a fabulous, fascinating, fantastical tale, told with panache by a superb taleteller about humanity's obsession with an eternal, imperishable, glittering metal

For anything and everything to do with gold, my most trusted source of information is Dominic Frisby

With both insight and his signature humour, Dominic Frisby tells the story of this extraordinary metal that has shaped empires and sparked madness. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand ...

The Secret History of Gold is a fabulous, fascinating, fantastical tale, told with panache by a superb taleteller about humanity's obsession with an eternal, imperishable, glittering metal

Books by Dominic Frisby

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter