The monograph tells about the activities of John Law, one of the most unusual financial figures in France at the beginning of the 18th century. The essence of his ideas was an attempt to supplement and then replace the gold and silver coins with paper money, which would help not only revive crafts and trade, but also solve problems in managing public debt. The practical implementation of his proposals in France ended in a grand failure. However, it had a significant impact on the further formation of economic theory and practice, including in Russia.