1 option
Forging capitalism : rogues, swindlers, frauds and the rise of modern finance / Ian Klaus.
LIBRA HC255 .K53 2014
Available from offsite location
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Klaus, Ian, 1978-
- Series:
- Yale series in economic and financial history
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Capitalism--Great Britain--History--19th century.
- Capitalism.
- Financial institutions--Corrupt practices--History.
- Financial institutions.
- Financial institutions--Corrupt practices.
- History.
- Great Britain.
- Physical Description:
- viii, 287 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.
- Place of Publication:
- New Haven : Yale University Press, [2014]
- Summary:
- Vice is the true father of Western capitalism, according to Ian Klaus in this fascinating, wildly entertaining, and often startling history of modern finance. Rather than the noble pursuit of gentlemen, international financial affairs in the nineteenth century were conducted in large part, the author suggests, by connivers, thieves, swindlers and frauds who believed that no risk was too great and no scheme too outrageous if the monetary reward was substantial enough. Taken together, these grand deceptions and the determined efforts made to guard against them were instrumental in creating the financial establishments of today. In a story teeming with playboys and scoundrels and rich in colourful, often incredible events, Klaus chronicles the evolution of trust institutions through three distinct incarnations: those constructed around values, those constructed around networks and reputations, and, ultimately, those constructed around skepticism, technology and verification. In an age when the questionable dealings of gargantuan international monetary organizations are continually in the spotlight, this extraordinary history has great relevance, offering essential lessons on both the importance and the limitations of trust in today's world.
- Contents:
- Part I Status + Virtue
- 1 "All Trades and Places Knew Some Cheat," 9
- 2 Unreliable Virtue 26
- 3 Vice on Trial 48
- 4 An Empire of Optimism 65
- Part II Reputation
- 5 Principals, Agents, and Their Mutual Friends 95
- 6 Reputation Contagion 109
- 7 The Detection of Lies, Lives, and Agents 131
- Part III Verification
- 8 The Observance of Trifles 155
- 9 A Gorgeous Vulgarity 168
- 10 The Verification Bureau 204.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- ISBN:
- 9780300181944
- 0300181949
- OCLC:
- 875644393
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.