A whimsical reference documenting humankind's unending fascination with, and lust for, money offers a historical study of human avarice and conspicuous consumption, from the pyramids of the pharaohs to Imelda Marco's infamous shoe collection.

Goldberg reveals the quirks and characters of famous misers, gamblers, investors, spendthrifts, spenders, gold diggers, and billionaires while he talks about the reality of greed. He also philosophizes that greed is unrelenting because it's really a search for spiritual fulfillment and cannot be satisfied through the accumulation of material possessions. His anecdotal format results in an entertaining book, while his scary stories of the effect of greed almost make the reader glad not to be rich.