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A Very English Deceit: The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble and the First Great Financial Scandal

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A Very English Deceit: The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble and the First Great Financial Scandal (Paperback)

by Malcolm Balen (Author)

4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Product details

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Fourth Estate; New Ed edition (5 May 2003)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1841155535
ISBN-13: 978-1841155531
Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 132,116 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#32 in Books > Business, Finance & Law > Biographies & Histories > Finance and Stock Market History

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Product Description

Sunday Times
'This engaging account tells how a fraudulent company bought up the English national debt.'

Daily Telegraph
'Balen's blend of detail and narrative drive is flawless.'

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	74% buy the item featured on this page: A Very English Deceit: The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble and the First Great Financial Scandal 4.4 out of 5 stars (5)
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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

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4 star:		(3)
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Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining account, 18 Jan 2004

By	Paul Donovan (London, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Balen's account of the "South Sea Bubble" is an entertaining account rather than an exhaustive historical examination of the events surrounding the South Sea Companies rise and fall in the early 18th century. This is not to say that the book lacks historical analysis and insight - but it does not qualify for the sobriquet of a "learned" text.

After a few opening pages of purple prose (through which the reader should plough through, for there is better to come) Balen sets out to paint the circumstances surrounding the "South Sea Bubble". He composes a good picture of the fevered speculation of the period, and in particular is very strong in drawing the parallels to the French experiment with paper money under Law. The view of England being drawn into a speculative frenzy in part because of the need to beat France in commerce is a neat interpretation - and Balen's researches amongst the diplomatic archives bolster the view that the bubble grew out of competition with France.

A reader familiar with analysis of the period will come across the usual clich�s - the company formed for "an undertaking of Great Advantage but no-one to know what it is" makes its obligatory appearance, for instance. Alongside these crowd-pleasers, Balen also offers some interesting details of the rise of the company, and the politics surrounding it. In so short a volume, the background setting is necessarily fairly cursory. Nevertheless, the political intrigue (with Walpole cast as the Machiavelli of his day) is well written.

Overall, this text serves as an excellent, entertaining introduction to the bubble. It provides some nice analysis of the bubble in an international context. Heading each chapter is a quote from an apposite article on the internet bubble - but without further elaboration - which struck me as a nice if none too subtle commentary on the ability of human nature to forget bitter experience in the face of wanton greed. For a really serious historian of the period, there is little to be gained from this work, perhaps - but for a generalist, it serves its purpose admirably and gives an nice overview of the phenomena.

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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Danger, corruption and finacial scandal...It's all here, 12 Aug 2002

By	Florence McHale (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Very English Deceit: The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble and the First Great Financial Scandal (Hardcover)

This is a masterpiece of brilliant writing crossed with historical fact to create a visual picture of the scandal of the South Sea Bubble. Gripping from start to end, this epic tale was a real page turner that kept me hanging on to every word with bated breath. Not your average historical writer, Balen has mastered the exact art of getting the right information across, without boring the reader, or making his intricate story too predictable. I hope to read more from this author! Keep writing, Malcolm Balen!

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Economics can be fun!, 17 Oct 2003

By	Arthur Wyatt - See all my reviews

A book which makes a potentially very dry subject extremely readable, and makes you realise the dot com boom was nothing new...

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Historical Facts
Ever wondered where the term "bubble" originated for financial wheeling and dealing? More recently attributed to internet startup companies, it was actually coined around an 18th... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Chasamatazz

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining account
Balen's account of the "South Sea Bubble" is an entertaining account rather than an exhaustive historical examination of the events surrounding the South Sea Companies rise and... Read more

Published on 18 Jan 2004 by Paul Donovan

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