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ゴールド: 金と人間の文明史 単行本 – 2001/8/1
◎権力、栄光、美と安全、富そして永遠の生命のシンボル、究極の貨幣として古来栄光の歴史を歩んできた金(ゴールド)。人間の歴史は、この金とともにある。だが、金をあがめ、その絶対的な力に囚われた人間はいつも間違い、その願いはかなえられず、悲惨な結末を迎えてしまうのだ……。
◎金と人間との終わることのないドラマを、古今東西にわたる驚嘆すべき幅広いエピソードと深い洞察力をもとに描き出す。固定観念に囚われた人間が陥る悲劇と、その愚かさをウィットに富んだ語り口で浮き彫りにする歴史物語の傑作。
- 本の長さ522ページ
- 言語日本語
- 出版社日経BPマーケティング(日本経済新聞出版
- 発売日2001/8/1
- ISBN-104532163951
- ISBN-13978-4532163952
この商品をチェックした人はこんな商品もチェックしています
商品の説明
商品説明
王侯が名誉のために金を求めた古代エジプトやギリシャ、ローマの時代に始まり、略奪により金銀や金鉱を手に入れたアラブの時代、黒死病により金と人口のバランスが崩れた14世紀、金鉱を求めて始まった大航海時代、ボダンによりマネタリズム思想が萌芽した16世紀と続き、そこから金本位制、IMF体制に至るまでの経済の歴史へと引き継がれる。貨幣の進化の過程における時代背景や人々の価値観などが生き生きと描かれている。さすがバーンスタインだ。
本書は貨幣史や経済政策の本としても受け取れるが、個人が投資する際、あるいは賢い資産運用をする際のヒントとしても受け取れる。金を掘り当てた人がお金持ちになる、所変われば金の価値も変わる、使える範囲と信頼性によって通貨の価値が変わることなどは、一見すると当たり前のようだが、資産運用あるいはビジネスの根本となる考え方である。アジアに金が蓄積された理由の説明として高度経済成長期の日本の状況を引用し、「日本人は外出したり海外からの輸入品に使ったりするよりも、お金を貯蓄し、財産を蓄積するほうを好む」という見方には疑問点が残るが、全体的には綿密な研究・調査と鋭い洞察に基づいている。金と人間のかかわりを描いた歴史ドラマとして、また経済書としても楽しめる。(土井英司)
内容(「MARC」データベースより)
著者について
翻訳家。1934年生まれ。ウィリアム・マンチェスター『栄光という夢』で翻訳出版文化賞受賞。主な訳書にP・ケネディ『大国の興亡』S・ハンチントン『文明の衝突』コリン・パウエル『マイ・アメリカン・ジャーニー』G・ハメル『リーディング・ザ・レボリューション』など。著書に『職業としての翻訳』『私の翻訳談義』などがある。
登録情報
- 出版社 : 日経BPマーケティング(日本経済新聞出版; New版 (2001/8/1)
- 発売日 : 2001/8/1
- 言語 : 日本語
- 単行本 : 522ページ
- ISBN-10 : 4532163951
- ISBN-13 : 978-4532163952
- Amazon 売れ筋ランキング: - 168,743位本 (本の売れ筋ランキングを見る)
- - 234位世界史一般の本
- - 10,071位投資・金融・会社経営 (本)
- - 18,441位ビジネス・経済 (本)
- カスタマーレビュー:
著者について
著者の本をもっと発見したり、よく似た著者を見つけたり、著者のブログを読んだりしましょう
-
トップレビュー
上位レビュー、対象国: 日本
レビューのフィルタリング中に問題が発生しました。後でもう一度試してください。
法定通貨は政府のお金
仮想通貨は国民のお金
偽物のお金である紙幣を貯め込んでいる人たちは今後は厳しい状況になる。
借金があまりにも多い。
そう遠くない未来、お母さん・お父さん・子供たちが困っている。
私が間違っていることを願う。
どうかお気をつけください。
経済や金融の面だけではなく、世界史や人間模様にも触れているので、肩が凝ることなく読める本。
金に魅せられた人間の知恵と苦悩が、時代と歴史の著名人を通じて分かりやすく書かれている。
金が金であることの役割を最後まで突き詰めた一冊です。
「もうひとつの金融史」第二弾とも言える著書である。
通史と言うよりはエピソードを積み重ねて、その時代時代の雰囲気を
連ねていくという形式を採っている。
ニクソンショックでブレトンウッズ体制が崩壊して久しく
GOLDを単なる商品の一つとしか見ていない21世紀において
GOLDが神聖・絶対なものであったという史実・概念は
やや古めかしく聞こえるし、また金本位制のシステムなど
今日ではわかりにくい金融概念が頻発することから
『リスク』に比べてブレイクしなかったのも仕方がないことなのだろう。
それでも金本位制の時代、約百年分の記述には
本書の後半半分が割かれており、秀逸である。
ニュースでは、日々のマーケットが上がった下がったと騒いでいますが、長い歴史の目で見ると、日々の動きは大したことないです。金の価格の変動を予想するのは不可能のようです。ただし、いつか大きく値が上下することは歴史が証明しています。
J.S.ミル曰く、「金にふれても怪我はしない。だが、もし手について離れないようなら、金は骨まで傷つける」。
人の命に比べたら、金の価値が小さい。これを忘れた人間のなんと多いことか。金に群がる人々は、アホである。
1980年のある二日間で、金の価格は、110ドルから634ドルに跳ね上がった (p.450)。
自分と他人の欲望をコントロールすることは難しい。
キーワード:J.P.モルガン
これが著者と訳者のどちらの責任が大きいのか、原著を見ていないので分からないが、翻訳ミスについては、訳者は専門家ではないのでそちらの可能性が高い。ただしたとえ専門家でなくても、内容について専門家に見てもらうのは常識である。それができていないということは、訳者の責任か、出版社のチェックが杜撰なのか、どちらかだろう。
他のレビューに、日本の記述については間違いが多いとあるが、一般的に外国の学者や作家が日本の歴史について信頼できる情報を得られる英語の本はそれほど多くない。しかもその多くは内容が古く、「教科書程度」の内容でさえ知られていないことが多い。従ってこうした「植民地時代の子供用歴史書程度の知識」しか無い本が生まれる。これは日本の学者が英語で本を書かないことが原因であり、外国人に責任はあまりない。
そうしたことを割引いても、「?」となる記述が多すぎるので、評価は「2」とした。
他の国からのトップレビュー
Ancient World:
The Ancients(Egyptians, Jews to Romans) adored gold but as a display of wealth not as money. The demand for gold drove the demand of mining. Mining is a labor intensive process and this facilitated slavery.
Bimetallism:
King Croesus(595BC) was the first to establish gold as coin/medium of exchange via state. He annulled private issuance of electrum and called all outstanding coins and minted gold & silver coins to the old. Bimetallism is seldom stable as changing supply of metal overtime causes the values to change. Croesus maintained a ratio of 10:1.
Persians and the Romans:
Persians expanded the practice of gold coin mintage and influenced gold to be accepted as the popular form of money and collect tax in gold instead of wheat/rice. The expanding roman empire experienced the shortage of gold.Shortage lead to the below.
1. Living with insufficient supply makes demand fall short and downward pressure the price aka Depression.
2. Importing gold via plunder/trade
3. Debasing currency
Constantine (337BC) used new 98 % pure gold coins "Solidus" as his conquest eastward brought him gold. This was officially the widely accepted form of money. Made gold as the only accepted medium of exchange.
Middle-Ages:
The Arabs dominated and outsmarted their competitors in trade and established monopolies in Africa & this gave them access to West African Gold. Africans traded gold to salt. Salt was their primary money because of its scarcity.
Reconquista and Atahualpa:
Portuguese and Spaniards paved way for discovery of the new world. When the Spaniards arrived to South America, they invited The King of Incas Atahualpa to their quarters. Atahualpa naively accepted & he was taken hostage. Once the ransom for paid & the kingdom fell, the spaniards sentenced him to death for idolatry & adultery. Atahualpa was baptised in the honour of St. John for a quick and painless death. Mining became a serious business. Under the spaniards, the merciless labor was devastating to the natives. The death rate was so high that many africans slaves had to be imported.
Spain & Gold:
With Gold flowing back to Spain, Spain failed to become rich. The Expulsion of Jews & Muslims removed the merchant class & the scientific community. High consumption & no production along with rigid structure of society ultimately led to Price revolution of 16th Century.
Asians:
Asia is hardly discussed in the book which is a huge drawback. Asians understand gold was too important to be traded as money. So they used copper & brass as medium of exchange in place of gold. The word Cash for ready liquid money is Tamil word. Hien Tsung(821AD), due to severe shortage of copper, used sheet of paper for money.
Magic Mint & New Rulers:
In 1661, Charles II of England issued an order in council mandating manufacturing of coins by machinery in-place of hammer. The new coin, guinea, equal to £1 about 8 grams or 1/4 of an ounce. In 1697, Bank of England was established as the 1st private company to do business as limited liability company in exchange for £1.2 million loan with 8% interest.
New Bank system and First Crisis:
Three forms of money were used in Britain.
1. Government minted gold coins
2. Bank Notes from BoE and other private banks
3. People deposited gold to goldsmith and got receipts.
Fear of French invasion provoked citizens to encase bank notes for gold. This resulted in Bank Restriction Act of 1797 .
Gold Rush:
The 19th Century Gold rush in Australia, California and South Africa made establishment of international gold standard possible & had the opposite effect of Price Revolution from 16th Century.
WW1 & its effects:
According to the writer, Gold standard was a symptom of stability and not the cause. Post WW I ,National debt swelled by multiples of 1914 for all. Each country owed many to many of its citizens. Allies ended up in debt to the US upto $2 Billion. France, Italy, Russia owed $500 Million to UK, The total holding of UK, France and Germany in gold was $2 Billion. Gold Standard was suspended as a result, To bring to Gold standard means higher interest rate. High interest rate means subdued business activity which in turn means higher unemployment. Higher employment keeps wages in check which keeps price in check. The gold standard of 1925 was passed subsequently.
Banking Act of 1933 prohibits hoarding of gold and silver coins and required all public to surrender the gold coins/bars. The currency which broke from gold standard devalued. The price of gold went up & price of goods & services fell down substantially.
WW2 & its effect:
After WW2, many countries were in shambles & currencies debased. In Germany, cigarettes & nylon stocking were preferred payments. USD become the only currency convertible to gold(by central bankers, national treasuries and not private individuals). USD became the preferred mode of payment over gold as it was easy convertible and earned interest. Inflation was the only vulnerability of USD.
Nixon shock:
Vietnam war, budget deficit, unemployment contributed to inflation. Nixon removed the gold standard in 1971. Floating currency system was established. This soared the price of gold & made it a hedge against chaos, inflation & uncertainty.
This is an erudite account on the history of Gold. However, it has few drawbacks. Asia's role, impact & narrative conspicuously missing. The writer takes a Keynesian approach to narrate the history of the gold instead of taking views from all school of thoughts. It is implicit from his writing that he's skeptical of gold as store of value or medium of exchange. However he is very inconclusive in his take on Gold & its role(if any) in 21st century. Highly recommended still!
Towards the last chapters, as the author begins to get into modern money situations, i.e. The Fed, international money systems, Bretton Woods, etc., I had to read hard! And because I still don't get it all is why I am thinking of buying it so I can study it. I am no economist, and not much good understanding even simple economic concepts, so this book's last chapters might not be that difficult for some.
Nonetheless, due to the current financial situation world-wide with regard to the weak dollar being the world currency, I am thinking I'd better know more about all this in case I want to you know stay alive after the Crash. And make no mistake, it's gonna Crash!
So buy it, borrow it, read it!
I learned a lot of interesting things from this book, for example:
1) An ounce of gold is a troy ounce, not the type of ounce that is generally used for weighing things.
2) A scarcity of gold for coins always seems to lead to debasement, or the devaluing of paper money that it is supposed to back.
3) I learned about the history of the Bank of England and how it served as a model for the First Bank of the Unites States.
4) The use of a bimetallic system (gold and silver as coinage, with a fixed exchange rate) is shown over and over again not to be viable.
5) I learned about the origin of the term "greenback" and the fact that they were still being printed until 1971.
6) I learned how gold influenced the world's economy and why many felt that they could not do without the Gold Standard, only to find out that they had to do without it.
7) The gold standard was deemed to be nothing short of ordained by the heavens, only to be abandoned when it constrained economic growth, only to be adopted again if inflation got out of hand.
8) I learned about the rise and fall of the price of gold in the 1980's
I liked this book and think that it has a lot to offer, but there a few negatives that prevented me from giving the book a five-star rating. There is not very much information on the banking in the early Unites States. The first and second Banks of the Unite States are just mentioned briefly, with the discussion of currency issues in the US only really beginning with the Civil War, but with very little information on the Federal Reserve System. My second concern is the presence of numerous minor errors. For instance, as a metallurgist I know that the statement that "gold does not mix with other metals" is completely false. I found other minor errors, so many that I was forced to verify things with a second source. I did not feel that these errors invalidated the arguments presented in the book, but I read this book as a source for information for a lecture that I was presenting, so accuracy was more critical than if I had just been reading this book casually. I sense that the book lacked comprehensive editorial control and a good fact checker. My final concern is that the book was written in 2000, before the explosion in the price of gold. This is a very important event, which except for the quotation mentioned above, could not be discussed in a book written in 2000. Nonetheless, the book does give an important historical reference from which to consider this price explosion, the future course of the price of gold and the effect of this price explosion may have on the world's economy.
Bernstein also wrote Against The Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk, another great read and hard to put down (a must for any gambler/investor).