3 Review(s)

The Mouse Merchant: Money in Ancient India, by Arshia Sattar, is a book that discusses the story of Indian business in the ancient days. Summary of the Book The stories in The Mouse Merchant chosen from several Sanskrit works, from the Rig-Vedic times to the twelfth century, tell us how money was dealt with in everyday life in ancient and medieval India. At the core of all these tales is the merchant. Sometimes naive, sometimes covetous, sometimes ingenious, sometimes mindless, and hopelessly in love with courtesans but also loyal to their wives, our merchant heroes show how innovation in business is more important than capital most of the time. These tales, in the context of Indian business history, offer not only rare understandings into the romance of the ancient seafaring life but also great wisdom about money in those times. About Arshia Sattar Arshia Sattar is an Indian author, translator, director and facilitator. She has a doctorate in South Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago. Her acclaimed English translations of Valmiki’s Ramayana and the Kathasaritsagara are Penguin Classics. Sattar's chief areas of interest are Indian epics, mythology and the story traditions of the subcontinent.