Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy by William Janeway (http://www.amazon.com/Doing-Capitalism-Innovation-Economy-Speculation/dp/1107031257 http://www.am

Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy by William Janeway (http://www.amazon.com/Doing-Capitalism-Innovation-Economy-Speculation/dp/1107031257 http://www.amazon.com/Doing-Capitalism-Innovation-Economy-Sp...) is not a history book per se, but it does contain a pretty thorough survey of bubbles and busts over the past several hundred years. It also contains a lot of history on the investment sector of the economy over the 20th century, and the rise of venture capital over the past 40 years. It's a challenging read, but very rewarding.