Amazon.com Review
David Hackett Fischer is a master storyteller, capable of writing challenging histories in highly enjoyable prose. His earlier works,
Albion's Seed and
Paul Revere's Ride, have both been hailed for their extraordinary success as both scholarly achievements and readable histories. In
The Great Wave, Professor Fischer directs his erudite attention to the ebbs and flows of prices, demonstrating that the historical costs of goods shed much light on patterns of human events, and the interpretation of those prices in turn discloses a great deal about the methods and biases of historians. The result is an intriguing study of both human history and a critical appraisal of the historian's craft. The greatest talent Fischer demonstrates is the ability to master a diverse amount of quantitative data and organize it into a remarkably clear story. Certain to interest lay readers, investors, and serious students alike,
The Great Wave changes the way you look at those common signposts known as prices.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
Fischer (Paul Revere's Ride, LJ 4/1/94) turns to economic concerns in this informative and readable history of price revolutions. The first revolution of which we have adequate record occurred in the 13th century: it coincided with the onslaught of the Black Death and put an end to the forward movement and optimism of the High Middle Ages. Later price crises coincided with devastating religious wars and social unrest in the 17th century, revolutions at the end of the 18th century, and the Great Depression and the horrors of totalitarianism of our own century. Today, we face another devastating wave of inflation: "after 1975...ratios of wealth inequality reached their highest levels in four centuries of American history....The principal victims [are]...the young people who ha[ve] no hope for the future and no memory of better times in the past. The result [is] a rapid growth of alienation, anomie, confusion, and despair." Fischer combines a lively narrative with cogent analysis and sound advice. Essential for scholarly collections, this fine book will also be appreciated by lay readers.?David Keymer, California State Univ., Stanislaus, Calif.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
