Storia dei ricchi

by John Kampfner, Bruno Amato (Translator)

Dalla Repubblica dell’antica Roma agli oligarchi russi di oggi, è sempre stato così: un ristretto numero di individui spaventosamente ricchi domina l’economia e la politica del suo tempo. Come abbiano accumulato capitali così spropositati diventa irrilevante una volta che siano entrati nella ristretta cerchia di chi conta davvero. Dal banchiere dei papi Cosimo de’ Medici ai padroni delle ferriere della Rivoluzione industriale, l’origine di quelle favolose fortune viene presto dimenticata, mentre i super-ricchi forniscono fondi per la costruzione di chiese e istituzioni culturali, si inventano patroni delle arti e delle lettere e, ansiosi di essere accettati dall’establishment, si sforzano di ripulire la loro immagine con grandiosi gesti di filantropia, esibizioni di stile e opulenza, imprese che i comuni mortali possono solo sognare. Gli oggetti del desiderio e gli status symbol possono cambiare, ma le regole sono sempre le stesse: gli schiavi, le concubine, i forzieri pieni d’oro e i castelli inespugnabili hanno lasciato il posto ai jet privati, i super-yacht, le isole private e le squadre di calcio, ma il gioco rimane uguale – e la storia sembra dimostrare che questo 0,01% vince ogni volta sul restante 99,99%. Ma è destinato a essere sempre così?

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Economics, 21st Century, British Literature, Sociology

478 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2014

About the author

John Kampfner is an author, commentator, broadcaster and journalist. From 2008 to 2012 he ran Index on Censorship, from 2005 to 2008 he was editor of the New Statesman, and before that he worked for the Financial Times, the BBC and the Telegraph. He is a regular pundit and presenter for all channels on politics and foreign affairs and the author of four previous books. - from publishers Allen and Unwin

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to need a year or so to calm down and read this book again so I can review it properly. It's not a book that gives me, a third world middle class woman, any comfort. It just presents the mindset of those who have gotten rich and how they live with/justify their wealth. Reputation control is so much easier once the overly rich guy is dead. I don't think they are evil, only human. And humans want to escape pain/discomfort of any kind by making themselves different from the rest, the hero in the tale.

As a small person, I'm reeling from the realization that the kind of wealth glorified by books, magazines, TV and even the internet, is gained at the expense of people like me.

Better reviews here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014...

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ultimate conclusion of this book is that the rich will always be with us. With that in mind, I found myself surprised at how much Kampfner seems to hold back his rage - because the other inescapable conclusion seems to be that whatever good the rich do society is incidental or designed to further their own interests, and is only ever done after hideous exploitation of the poor. If you want to know thine enemy or just want some well-written, insightful essays into various periods of history and the modern day, this is worth a read, but be prepared to lose your temper, especially in the chapters about our own society.

[Tamsyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting topics, but the writing was not brilliant. Could have used better editing.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one of those books that essentially makes you mad at the unpunished bad deeds of people with large sums of money and (by extension) power.

It's very competent in its descriptions of how millionaires made their money in the various historical eras, and provides some interesting notes on how these kinds of people often feel victimized by their own sense of aggrievance.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[Lara Valls · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I picked this book.
Somewhat interesting to learn that from the Roman Empire times, real estate, being hidden from the public eye but seem as an advisor… investing in culture and arts… having a good understanding with the religious groups at the time. And being ruthless are all characteristics shared by the Rockerfellers of history.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant book! I found it to be more like "a short history of the world through the eyes of those who have exerted influence through wealth" and would recommend it to anyone as a social or business studies text

[Nataliya Stelmakh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant collection of how the world elites earn & spend their wealth. From the Roman Empire to the modern Russia & China.

[Octavius Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love buying and reading these types of books.
Boats, yachts, historical events and books about the sea are generally excellent. If there are sequels in your series, I would love to read them.

The beauties of owning the books of important authors cannot be discussed. I'm looking forward to your new books.

For friends who want to read this book, I leave the importance of reading a book here. I wish good luck to the sellers and customers...

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[Euthymia Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dupa cum o sugereaza si titlul este vorba despre cateva persoane din istorie care prin mostenire sau prin propriile puteri au reusit sa se imbogateasca si sa prospere in afaceri. Autorul a ales pentru câteva perioade istorice personaje reprezentative ca Marcus Licinus Crassus in Antichitate. De la el, pana la oamenii de afaceri din zilele noastre precum Mark Zuckerberg ne sunt trecuți în revistă cu toții: cei bogați de atunci si cei de azi.

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[Imran Pasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love/adore this..but but writing bhai writing.. it made me feel like I am reading academic stuffs.. yea ha University ke books nahi pade ja rahain...yea kon padega.. it is semi biography of rich people's in human history from Rome to rich shaiks in gulfs.. what they have common and how did they get the abundance of wealth.. by wealth you get power vise versa.. basic crux of the book is the more people you can control, the more powerful and wealthy you get.. means.. that is why politician and business men get very easily with each other.. power and wealth requires control of masses!! But how do you do it ? Good question for that you have to read it..

Happy reading!!

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a scissors and paste job from secondary sources either out-of-date or little better than magazine articles. I don't think there is a single word in this book that is unique or that displays the slightest bit of thought. If you need to read a book like this to discover that rich people have a lot of money and spend in silly ways and not particularly nice people then I am sorry for you because clearly you have been deprived even of even the most minimum amount of trash TV or literature (in the broadest sense of the word). But does a potential reader that stupid exist? and if they do are they going to read a book? Even stupid people can recognise a waste of time.

[Brian Gowthorpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-told and well-researched, this timely book considers whether any lessons have been learned from the crash of 2008: very few. And the rich got richer. The mega rich have spent their money on much the same stuff throughout the ages. Mostly they shun the limelight; they always want more; they are ruthless and whatever their crimes they tend to develop a self-serving justification for what they have done.

“Behind every great fortune there is a crime.” That is the epigraph to The Godfather, by Mario Puzo. Puzo attributed the quote to Balzac.

[Tejashwi Sharan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rich is a rare collection of the most prosperous people mankind ever saw. In its 2000 years of existence, every era produced their own jewel. From Akenaten to Mark Zukerberg, every personality has some defining traits that made different, superorily different.

For complete review visit
https://reviewbeforeread.blogspot.com...

[Pinko Palest · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly amusing read, but doesn't bring much that's new into the debate. Maybe it's not a tightly constructed as one would expect from Kampfner, but still a very useful book

[Snehal Damke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insights of how rich people behaved and accumulated wealth over last 2000+ years !!

[Rajesh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took a while, but it was alright. Historical bent for the first rich people, social commentary for the latter, contemporary crowd.

[Zeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bogații și săracii au fost și vor fi mereu

[DAVIDE CIRO COZZOLINO · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molto ben scritto, rivelatore di molte storie

[Davide Ciro · Rating 4 out of 5]

molto ben scritto, rivelatore di molte storie

[!Tæmbuŝu]

KOBOBOOKS

Reviewed by The Independent (27 Sep 2014), The Guardian (6 Oct 2014)

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The flaw in this book is that Kampfner believes that if you're rich, you have to be evil.

[Artem Huletski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хорошая журналистика, не очень хорошая литература. When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.

[Gabor Gürtler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes it perfectly clear how wealth and power of the top class are. Sometimes in a provocative style, however, the author of the book did a great job. It's a brave deed to reveal secrets which the ultra rich hides from the world in general. Overall, this book broadened my horizont of the finanical world of the history and nowadays.

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kampfner tells the story of some of the richest and greediest people who have ever walked the earth over the last 2000 years. Starting from the Egyptians, Romans and Conquistadores right up to the present day, the examples given vary from the obvious like Bill Gates and Andrew Carnegie through to the more obscure figures like Malian king Mansa Musa. He digs deep exposing these figures, using examples from most continents, we learn of characters like the Prussian industrialist Herr Krupps and how he made millions with the heavy reliance of war and profiting not just with the death of his own countrymen but from the holocaust too. He shines a light on the robber barons of the 19th Century, he also focuses on some of the appalling and kleptocratic regimes like Mobutu in Zaire to Putin’s Russia, still leaving some sharp tools to tackle the sheikhs from the middle east and of course the bankers. He certainly doesn’t shy away from getting stuck into plenty of the current names, always challenging motives and questioning morals and ridiculing egos, for example on Bill Gates philanthropy, he may well be giving x amount away through his foundation but the fact remains that Microsoft paid no corporation tax on online software sales of $1.7 billion in the UK during 2011.

This is a broad sweeping and far reaching account that manages to cover a lot of ground from many eras in many places around the world. It’s a story of power, excess, avarice, murder, propaganda and corruption amidst legacy building and plundering. It certainly has its drier moments, but these are mere pips in an otherwise delicious fruit, Kampfner writes well and at times this is a really fascinating read touching on many areas he has written about in past work and overall this is an engaging and enlightening read.

[Bogdan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cartea prezintă biografii introductive ale principalilor oameni teribil bogați începând în antichitate cu Akhenaton și Crassus și sfârșind în contmeporan cu miliardari gen Bill Gates, Zuckerberg sau Jeff Bezos.
Unii subiecți au fost mai bine prezentați ca alții, de obicei cu cât este mai recentă istoria persoanei în cauză, cu atât avem mai multe date din care a putut alege autorul pe care să le prezinte; în cazul celor dinainte de 1500 prezentarea fiind mai săracă. Stilul este pe alocuri uscat, în mod evident nu fiecare subiect a fost la fel de interesant de cercetat de către autor. Rămâne totuși o lectură interesantă, cu date concrete și care nu-și dorește să răspundă la întrebarea dacă averea aduce și fericirea.