German financier Georg von Wallwitz (b. 1968), in his first book translated into Russian, 'Mr. Smith and the Earthly Paradise,' introduced readers to the birth of the concept of 'well-being' in European culture. He offers a fascinating insight into the history of the stock market. The rise and fall of the East India Company, the emergence of paper money, grandiose scams and the most serious struggle of economic theories, 'The Odyssey,' 'Candide,' Adorno, and Kant are, for Wallwitz, essential keys to understanding the Wall Street crash, the 2008 crisis, and the principles of modern financial instruments.