Serious Money: Walking Plutocratic London

Serious Money is a sociological exploration of the lives of the super-rich in London, revealing the isolation and paranoia that accompany their wealth. It explodes the fiction that wealth is a condition to aspire to and reminds us that we make the city, and could demand something different.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 25 May 2023
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Serious Money: A Latter-Day Canterbury Tales

London, a city known for its wealth and glamour, has become a playground for the super-rich, with more resident billionaires than New York, Hong Kong, or Moscow. However, this wealth is not trickling down, but rather burning up the environment and swallowing up the city. In her book, Serious Money, sociologist Caroline Knowles takes us on a journey through the streets of London, from the City to suburban Surrey, to explore the lives of the super-rich and the impact they have on the capital.

Knowles' walks reveal how the wealthy shape the capital in their image, creating a new world of gated communities and luxury developments. Along the way, we meet a wide and wickedly entertaining cast of millionaires, billionaires, and those who serve them, including bankers, tech tycoons, Conservative party donors, butlers, bodyguards, divorce lawyers, and many more.

Serious Money is a powerful reminder that wealth is not a condition to aspire to, but rather a hollow pursuit that comes with isolation and paranoia. It explodes the fiction that wealth is a measure of success and reveals the lives of the super-rich as empty and meaningless. The book also highlights the role that we, the ordinary people, play in creating a city ruled by and for extreme wealth.

Through her vivid storytelling and insightful analysis, Knowles challenges us to think critically about the wealth gap and to demand something different. She argues that serious money is good for no one, not even the rich, and that we should work together to create a more equitable and sustainable city for all.

Serious Money is an eye-opening, deeply disturbing, and fast-moving journey through the lives, homes, and affairs of the filthy rich of London. It is a wonderful and vital account of a city ruled by, and for, extreme wealth, and a powerful reminder that we have the power to shape our city's future.

Weight: 238g
Dimension: 197 x 131 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780141994376