Another request-for-book, borrowing the title from a favourite Daniel Davies-ism from the days he used to say rude things about the IMF.
It strikes me as interesting that the idea of inflation/devaluation/currency debasement has such long legs and is written so deep in the culture, when its opposite – deflation/recession/depression – is so much more effective as a way of creating misery. After all, for inflation in itself, rather than a change in prices relative to wages, to be a problem, you need to be rich and most people aren’t. That’s part of the answer in itself, of course. But still, the invisible hand kills millions without leaving fingerprints, but you shave the silver content of the coinage a bit and they’re still putting on plays about what a bastard you were 800 years later.