This book is a work of contemporary economic history focusing primarily on the US and the UK. It shows that, historically, much of the wealth of the ultra-wealthy has been based on inheritance, tax evasion, political influence, or wage theft. Today, much of the wealth of the rentier class-the super-rich-is based on income from ownership or control of scarce assets, or assets artificially made scarce. As a result, the super-rich reap much of their...