Book excerpt: Financial crises must be studied in the context of history. The Maze of Banking is a collection of academic papers by Gary Gorton---an expert on the financial crisis of 2007-2008---on the history and analysis of banks, banking, and financial crises spanning the past 175 years. These papers provide the framework for understanding how the financial crisis of 2007-2008 developed and what can be done to promote a stabile banking industry and prevent future economic crises.