Reading List

The foundational academic study of silver's long-run price history from 1450 to 1976. Jastram tracks silver's purchasing power across five centuries and examines its monetary role with rigorous historical data. Out of print but findable secondhand. If you read one book about silver, this is it.

A comprehensive investment case for silver from the perspective of long-time silver analysts. Covers supply/demand fundamentals, the monetary argument, and practical stacking guidance. Skews bullish, so read it critically — but it's thorough on the fundamentals.

The definitive scholarly work on American monetary history. Essential context for understanding the Crime of 1873, the gold/silver debates of the Gilded Age, and the long arc of monetary policy. Dense but rewarding.

A short, readable primer on the history of money, the mechanics of inflation, and the case for commodity-backed currency. Free online from the Mises Institute. Written from an Austrian economics perspective — useful as a theoretical framework whether or not you fully agree with its conclusions.

A narrative account of the Weimar Republic's hyperinflation, told through contemporary diaries and newspaper accounts. One of the most powerful case studies in what happens when monetary discipline collapses. Essential reading for understanding why people hold hard assets.

A comprehensive, readable academic survey of monetary history from early commodity money through the modern era. Silver's role in monetary systems across cultures and centuries is covered in depth. A reference book more than a cover-to-cover read.

Rickards makes the case that competitive currency devaluations between major economies create structural instability — and that gold (and by extension, silver) serves as a hedge against that instability. Accessible writing, clear macro framework. His subsequent books extend the argument.

Not specifically about silver, but one of the best-written accounts of how financial markets can systematically misprice risk, and how a small number of analysts who do their own research can see what the consensus misses. The epistemological lesson applies directly to commodity investing.

A beginner-friendly introduction to precious metals investing. Covers monetary history, the inflation argument, and practical acquisition guidance. Strongly bullish — treat the price predictions with appropriate skepticism — but the foundational material is sound and clearly explained.

The annual benchmark report on global silver supply and demand. Summary data is free; the full report is paid. Essential primary data source. Released each spring.

Free U.S. government publication with comprehensive annual data on silver production by country, reserve estimates, and industrial use breakdown. A reliable and frequently updated primary source.

Historical data archive with silver production and pricing statistics going back decades. Invaluable for anyone doing long-run quantitative analysis.