Bernstein The Power of Gold

The History of an Obsession
2. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-1-118-28269-4
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 448 Seiten, E-Book

"The need for realism in reform of its monetary system is whatmakes Bernstein's story of the Power of Gold so timely. It isa compelling reminder that maintaining a fixed price for gold andfixed exchange rates were difficult even in a simpler financialenvironment....Peter Bernstein was reluctant to project thestory of gold into the future. But to me his message was clear.Yes, gold will be with us, valued not only for its intrinsicqualities but as a last refuge and store of value in turbulenttimes. But its days as money, as a means of payment and a fixedunit of account are gone."
--From the New Foreword by Paul Volcker
This bestselling book reveals a record of human nature in theubiquity of gold with a new foreword by Paul Volcker
In this exciting book, the late Peter L. Bernstein tells thestory of history's most coveted, celebrated, and inglorious asset:gold. From the ancient fascinations of Moses and Midas through themodern convulsions caused by the gold standard and its aftermath,gold has led many of its most eager and proud possessors to a badend. And while the same cycle of obsession and desperation mayreverberate in today's fast-moving, electronically-driven markets,the role of gold in shaping human history is the striking featureof this tumultuous tale. Such is the power of gold.
Whether it is Egyptian pharaohs with depraved tastes, theluxury-mad survivors of the Black Death, the Chinese inventor ofpaper money, the pirates on the Spanish Main, or the hardnosedbelievers in the international gold standard, gold has been thesupreme possession. It has been an icon for greed and an emblem ofrectitude, as well as a vehicle for vanity and a badge of powerthat has shaped the destiny of humanity through the ages.
* Discusses the beginnings of gold as something with magical,religious, and artistic qualities and follows its trail as weprogress to the invention of coinage, the transformation of goldinto money, and the gold standard
* Other bestselling books by the late Peter Bernstein: Againstthe Gods, Capital Ideas, and Capital IdeasEvolving
* Contemplates gold from the diverse perspectives of monarchs andmoneyers, potentates and politicians, men of legendary wealth andothers of more plebeian beginnings
Far more than a tale of romantic myths, daring explorations, andthe history of money and power struggles, The Power of Goldsuggests that the true significance of this infamous element maylie in the timeless passions it continues to evoke, and what thisreveals about ourselves.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bernstein, Peter L.

Weitere Mitwirkende

Volcker, Paul A.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xiii
PROLOGUE: The Supreme Possession 1
A METAL FOR ALL SEASONS
1. Get Gold at All Hazards 9
2. Midas's Wish and the Creatures of Pure Chance 18
3. Darius's Bathtub and the Cackling of the Geese 38
4. The Symbol and the Faith 52
5. Gold, Salt, and the Blessed Town 66
6. The Legacy of Eoba, Babba, and Udd 74
7. The Great Chain Reaction 85
8. The Disintegrating Age and the Kings' Ransoms 96
9. The Sacred Thirst 114
THE PATH TO TRIUMPH
10. The Fatal Poison and Private Money 135
11. The Asian Necropolis and Hien Tsung's InadvertentInnovation 158
12. The Great Recoinage and the Last of the Magicians 175
13. The True Doctrine and the Great Evil 198
14. The New Mistress and the Cursed Discovery 219
15. The Badge of Honor 239
16. The Most Stupendous Conspiracy and the Endless Chain 260
THE DESCENT FROM GLORY
17. The Norman Conquest 283
18. The End of the Epoch 306
19. The Transcending Value 328
20. World War Eight and the Thirty Ounces of Gold 346
EPILOGUE: The Supreme Possession? 367
Notes 373
Bibliography 397
Index 409

Über Autor(innen)

The late Peter L. Bernstein was President of Peter L. Bernstein, Inc., an economic consulting firm for institutional investors he founded in 1973, after many years of managing billions of dollars in individual and institutional portfolios. Bernstein was also the author of ten books on economics and finance, including the bestselling Capital Ideas, Capital Ideas Evolving, and Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk. His writing combines the zest of a historian with the meticulous analytical powers of an economist.