Rating: 
Summary: A popular history of glitter
Review: "Unlike any other element on earth, almost all the gold ever mined is still around... If you piled all this gold in one solid cube, you could fit it aboard any of today's great oil tankers; its total weight would amount to approximately 125,000 tons ..." So writes Peter Bernstein in the prologue of THE POWER OF GOLD. (Uh-oh. If I want to corner the bullion market, I'd better get a bigger safe deposit box.) This volume is a highly readable history of the element Au from the reign of King Midas to the present, and from gold's status as a commodity, as money, as a monetary standard, and back to commodity again. To the hardboiled bean counter, Bernstein's work might seem superficial. Well, since I never claim to be a deep thinker, and am relatively indifferent to the state of the world economy and the pretentious pronouncements about it made by financial experts on the morning talk show circuit, it proved to be an entertaining and educational read. The author guides us down the Golden Brick Road from the times of the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese, to Rome and Byzantium, further along to the Black Death-ravaged Middle Ages, on to the empires of the English and Spanish, and finally to the recently-past obsessions of the British, American and French governments. And, while THE POWER OF GOLD describes the element in all its guises - adornment, coinage, spoil of war, power display, horde in a sock - the book is, above all, a fine treatise on economics. My only quarrel with Bernstein is that he sometimes rambles off on tangents not really germane to the topic. It's enough to know that Spain plundered the gold from the Inca Empire, transporting it back to Europe on its treasure galleons. The author's account of Francisco Pizarro's treacherous capture and murder of the Inca king was nice background, but not essential. Similarly, it's enough to know that the 19th century gold strikes in California, Alaska, Russia, South Africa and Australia destabilized the world's supply of the metal, but I didn't require Johann Sutter's sob story to appreciate the fact. Thankfully, Bernstein gave no background on President Richard Nixon, whose momentous 1971 decision to remove the U.S. $ from the gold standard seems forgotten in the glare of his China policy and Watergate. As I sit contemplating my few British sovereigns and South African krugerrands losing value in my tiny safe deposit box, I think perhaps Prime Minister Disraeli was quite correct when he said, "Our gold standard is not the cause, but the consequence of our commercial prosperity." The wealth of a nation is perhaps better judged by its (non-gold) natural resources, and the productivity of its citizens in putting those fortuitous gifts to good use.
Rating:
Summary: We rush for it and fever for it and go mad for it...
Review: Anyone who has ever actually prospected or panned for gold will understand the elemental feeling that comes over you when you recognize without having to be told that the bits of yellow metal you're looking at are gold. Gold! Aside from the social impact of civilizations and societies using gold as a currency or the basis for commerce and finance, the metal itself has enormous influence on people. Bernstein's book examines the history and social influence of this valuable ore in a measured, interesting manner. Has the change to a paper standard ameliorated our fascination with gold? Not really. I recommend Bernstein's book for history buffs and social economists. It's not a light read, but if you're in the right frame of mind it's eminently readable and the story is intriguing.
Rating:
Summary: Really about monetary policy
Review: Bernstein is one of the great contemporary business writers, having produced books about risk and market theory. So when he takes on gold, he doesn't write about jewelry -- he writes about gold as currency, which leads him to write about monetary policy and the gold standard. He does this pretty well, so if you're interested in those topics (as I am), then you'll have a hard time finding a better account than this book.
Rating: 
Summary: From reader yogibearbull in IL
Review: Bernstein's The Power of Gold has moved from #3732 (9/22/00)to #94 (9/27/00)in Amazon sales rank!--this is simply amazing for a book on the yellow metal which has supposedly lost its luster. Book's official publication date is just this month--September 2000. It may soon hit the bestseller list at this rate. Bernstein tells a story which is shocking, gory, fascinating, and interesting. It has weak beginning and end, but great middle. Items are well referenced and footnoted. Bernstein does not have a pro or con view on gold as an investment in this book, but he seems skeptical of the current paper currency system and the gold situation. He does not believe that we have seen last of the gold story. I think that any one reading the book will be motivated to have some exposure in gold as a hedge for the unknown future. Tales in the book describe the fate of those who failed to hedge and got caught up with the fads of their times.
Rating:
Summary: As good as gold
Review: Except for a brief explanation of what gold is, and a few of the major gold rushes, "The Power of Gold" is essentially the economic history of gold. That isn't neccessarily a bad thing, the only major flaw with the book in my opinion is when the Europeans/Americans wrangle over the gold standard. The last section involving how much gold is a dollar or a pound is just plain dull. However, most of the book a fascinating look at our fascination with the magic metal. My favorite history books are written by novices, since the author usually enjoys his subject enough to write about it, and Bernstein does have an enthusiasm over his subject that is infectious. So, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of gold or even modern money.
Rating:
Summary: Gold In Its Glory
Review: For those who love a good story and hanker to know more about the world we live in and how it came to be, Mr.Bernstein's latest book is a triumph! From the origins of our favorite myths, Midas with his golden touch, to a rational explanation of the gold standard,this book follows the history of man, told through the threads/nuggets and items of the substance we call gold. Buy it! You love it!
Rating:
Summary: Not bad.
Review: Having expected this book to be more about the get rich schemes or preparing for the collapse of the world economy, I found this book to be more like a world history lesson on gold instead. The book provides an interesting look at gold from a historical perspective, and how it has dominated civilizations around the world in both the past and present. Gold has, as few would doubt, stood the test of time akin to a financial Rock of Gibraltar, and this book presents why that has been so and why it will continue to be so.
Rating: 
Summary: So so
Review: His first book was phenomenal. I struggle to get this one completed. It tries to bring in loads and loads of history to the point where you start to get lost. The material is rich indeed but too much of a good thing.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: I bought this book because I thought "Against the Gods" was a great book. I was, however, disappointed because it was tedious and not very enlightening.
Rating: 
Summary: not so apprcieble
Review: i didn't like this at all i hope u all like it
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