The King, the Crook, and the Gambler: The True Story of the South Sea Bubble and the Greatest Financial Scandal in History [Paperback]

Malcolm Balen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

An unscrupulous Englishman had the notion for a company that would establish a lucrative trade in silver and spices between England and the Americas. What the investors didn't know was that the South Sea Company barely owned a ship. In this gripping account, Malcolm Balen reveals the true story of how a simple stock-share scheme became a Dickensian web of political and financial intrigue that threatened to overturn two monarchies and topple the British government. Set in the mazy back alleys of the newly inaugurated financial districts of 1720s London and Paris, "The King, the Crook, and the Gambler" is a lively, fast-paced, and surprisingly epic history of how the South Sea Bubble escalated into a catastrophe that made the fortunes of few and the ruin of many -- and has proved the model for every financial bubble since.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Balen reminds us that the murky tale of the first bubble stands as a cautionary tale for our time.” (Lisa Jardine, London Times )

“Balen displays both understanding and incredulity in his account of the infamous 18th century trading scandal…a remarkable story.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“A great ripping yarn.” (Chicago Tribune )

“Brilliant.” (John Snow )

“Bristles with contemporary resonance...Balen has a felicitous turn of phrase and the pace never flags.” (Financial Times )

About the Author

Malcolm Balen is the author of a much praised biography of Kenneth Clarke. With a degree in History from Cambridge, he is currently editor of ITN’s Carlton news, having previously worked as editor of the BBC Nine O’Clock news and for Channel 4.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007161786
• ISBN-13: 978-0007161782
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,238,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Either too much or too little for this book, October 24, 2007

By 

Lori Reeser "Major Reader" (Sunnyvale, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The King, the Crook, and the Gambler: The True Story of the South Sea Bubble and the Greatest Financial Scandal in History (Paperback)

If you already know what stock market bubbles are and why and how they work, at least generally, this book is a nice history of the political background to the South Sea Bubble and, to a lesser extent, the Mississippi Company.

The South Sea Bubble of 1720 was the first `speculative bubble' in the English speaking world (the tulip mania in Holland was the first bubble). It has become better known recently because of the Internet/dotcom bubble. A big focus of the book is the fraud and political corruption that allowed the bubble to occur. This would have been ok if that had been all the book was about, but the author tries to make the book bigger by covering, in less detail, the almost contemporaneous situation in France - the Mississippi Company/Law System. There are also quotes from participants in the dotcom bubble at the heading of each chapter

The problem is that trying to draw parallels (even implicitly) doesn't work if you don't present the whole situation. It is confusing, incomplete, and essentially incorrect. The author should have given an explanation of what bubbles are and what distinguishes these two, besides being first. Unfortunately, he leaves the reader believing that the reason the South Sea Bubble happened was because of corruption and fraud, and implicitly condemns the dotcom bubble.

Do not take this as a complete explanation. If this is your first exposure to this event there are better sources out there (Wikipedia, for one). An interesting novel that illustrates what it was like to live in London during 1719 (just as the bubble was heating up) is A Conspiracy of Paper: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle) by David Liss.

The current title is misleading. The king (George I) was barely involved, the crook was the founder of the South Sea Company, and the gambler was John Law of the Law System and the Mississippi Company. This book was published under two other titles, The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble: The World's First Great Financial ScandalA Very English Deceit: The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble and the First Great Financia, both of which are much better titles.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars lots left out, January 21, 2005

By 

Andrew W. Egerton (London, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The King, the Crook, and the Gambler: The True Story of the South Sea Bubble and the Greatest Financial Scandal in History (Paperback)

This book takes a seldom covered but interesting period of history and provides both an excellent and inadequate coverage of events. In some aspects, such as John Law and the Mississipi Company, the formation of the South Sea Company and in particular the political machinations following the burst, the book exceeds expectations. Unfortunately in other areas such as the demise of the company and how the government handled the financial reprecusions on the national debt, which was the entire basis of the project, on is left wanting more.