The Second World War is drawing to a close. Nicholas Vaughan, released from the army after an accident, takes refuge in Devon renting a thatched cottage in the beautiful countryside at Mallory Fitzjoh
The world's largest market is that for foreign exchange with a turnover running into trillions per day. The mystery is why this market is dominated by trading in London when the US dollar is the main currency in use. What role is played by this market? To many it is a speculator's paradise, exposed to manipulation and contributing to currency volatility. For others it plays a central role in in the operation of the global banking system and a mechanism for maintaining currency stability. In Forex Forever, Ranald C. Michie seeks to provide answers to these and other questions by examining how the foreign exchange market has developed in the City of London over the past 150 years and uncovers its secret existence in London before the First World War. Michie explores how the City of London became the centre of the global foreign exchange market before 1914 through the international banking network, trading on the floor of the Stock Exchange, and the communications revolution that began wi
Born in California in 1912, Julia Child enlisted in the Army and met her future husband, Paul, during World War II. She discovered her love of French food while stationed in Paris and enrolled in Le C
Italy, 1943—Germany occupies much of the country, placing the Jewish population in grave danger during World War II.As children, Eva Rosselli and Angelo Bianco were raised like family but divided by c
乘風破浪來到中國的英國商人如何參與十九世紀帝國衝突的零和遊戲作者使用未曾與世人見面的太古集團檔案，為這間公司撰寫它度過動蕩不安中國近代史兩百年的迷人故事。民族崛起，帝國衰落，而太古集團這艘船航行穿越風暴。這是英國史和中國史一流史家的上乘之作。──史蒂芬．普拉特（Stephen R. Platt），美國阿姆赫斯特麻塞諸塞大學歷史系教授，著有《帝國暮色》（Imperial Twilight）畢可思把英國在中國的歷史寫得無可匹敵。在《綁定中國》，他講述一段橫跨兩百年動蕩歷史的非凡故事，關於一個來自利物浦的家族企業如何把自己變成亞洲的一部分。這是家庭的故事，帝國的故事，也是關係網的故事。──香港大學歷史系教授高馬可（John M. Carroll），著有《帝國夾縫中的香港》（Edge of Empires Chinese Elites and British Colonials in Hong Kong）這是亞洲其中一間重要英國公司的故事。但這個故事的意義遠不止於此——它包羅萬象的內容包含關於帝國如何形成，在鼎盛時期運作，然後被迫重塑自身。畢可思使用各式素材，其中許多是學者們從未見過的史料，他講述太古在亞洲創造新的貿易路線和商業關係，還有亞洲接著也被帝國商業塑造，然後面對戰爭和一九四九年中國共產主義革命的影響。這是一部強而有力又重要的歷史，將在英國與亞洲關係走上全新且不可預測的變化之際留下印記，其敘事風格和活力就連最鋌而走險的大班都會滿意。──芮納．米德（Rana Mitter），著有《中國的抗日戰爭，1937-1945》（China’s War with Japan, 1937-1945: The Struggle for Survival） 一個西方家族商行——也是擁有諸多商行的家族——如何在亞洲生存並蓬勃發展兩個多世紀？一間開路先鋒般的私人企業如何巡航穿越現代中國的戰爭、革命和改革開放？畢可斯把這個太古集團的故事講得精彩絕倫。這本書有很多身分：這是一本讀起來像小說的權威商業史。這是一部帝國衝突與競爭的大戲。這是關於商業創造我們今天生活的現代世界及其機構的故事。從商業的角度來看，這是一段中國和香港的迷人歷史。這本書適合研究現代中國及其外交關係的讀者，以及今天在中國做生意的人。這段歷史有很多教訓值得今人汲取。──柯偉林（William C. Kirby），哈佛大
