Serious reading. I waded through it about 20 years ago. Changed my view on the CW dynamic.
It gave me some insight into things that I had never previously considered. For example, that "freedom" in Europe was the consequence of the aristocracy discovering that people who thought they were free actually produced more goods and services which the aristocracy could tax and exploit.
If that is the real reason Europe ended feudal serfdom, then it also explains a lot about what is happening now.
And yes, the money information turns the Northern Civil War claims on their head.