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Article: The South Sea Bubble - George i's Enron. (Reviews).(A Very English Deceit: The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble and the First Great Financial Scandal)(Book Review)
- Article from:
- Contemporary Review
- Article date:
- July 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Contemporary Review Company Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A Very English Deceit: The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble and the First Great Financial Scandal. Malcolm Balen. Fourth Estate. [pounds]17.99. 260 pages. ISBN 1-84115-552-7.
The South Sea Company, originally a trading enterprise to exchange English cloth for Spanish gold in South America, gave itself the lyrical motto, From Cadiz to the Dawn. With the benefit of hindsight, a more appropriate motto would have been 'from a castle in Spain to a rude awakening', equally poetical, if only in the sense of 'poetic justice'. For this book is a cautionary tale, told by the head of news for ITN in London, Malcolm Balen, with frequent illustrative quotes to point out ...