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The Gathering Storm: can you afford not to read it?
2012-03-08 15:27
Title: The Gathering Storm
Editors: Lee Robinson, Patrick L Young
Publisher: Derivatives Vision
Pages: 408
Price: £33 (€42) inc p&p
Web sales: http://thegatheringstorm.info
Amidst concerns about the world economy, any guide to understanding finance in a transparent way makes essential reading. There’s an irony, though, about publishing in these straitened times: books cost money, don’t they? and who’s going to invest in a book (even a highly respectable and readable guide like this one) at a time when the world is trying to free itself of so much debt?
But what if the book itself was an exercise in a different sort of economics? A book where each contributor, and the publisher, offered their services free, and the profits went to worldwide charities?
That was the original concept behind 'The Gathering Storm', the brainchild of leading equity and credit hedge fund manager Lee Robinson. The resulting unique perspective on world economics and markets has been put together by a truly remarkable group of individuals who all managed to discern the gathering storm in the financial markets that led to the ‘credit crunch’ and subsequent market ructions.
The subtitle: How to Avoid the Next Crisis, from the Minds that Predicted the Crunch, spells out in pretty bleak terms the economic storm with which we are now all familiar, and suggests that it will not be the last. But the idea of the book, which has been endorsed by HSH Prince Albert II, is that the rather impressive grey cloud which dominates its cover may yet have some sort of lining – whether silver or not remains to be seen.
'The Gathering Storm' was developed rapidly during the summer of 2010, based on a simple format: a series of leading managers and analysts would each contribute a chapter free of charge, and nominate a charity which would benefit from a portion of the book sale revenues.
The end result is a book which is stimulating and educational as well as entertaining. And by purchasing a copy you will be doing something to alleviate world debt among those whom the downturn has hit – or promises to hit – hardest: the sick, the young, and those who have dedicated themselves to making our society a better place to live.
'As Monaco is a centre for financial activities for both banks and
charities alike, I am pleased to see a group of financial thinkers
creatively addressing the big picture for good causes'
HSH Prince Albert II
The concept for ‘The Gathering Storm’ was thought up by leading equity and credit hedge fund manager Lee Robinson, who organised the initial contributors and subsequently enlisted the help of Patrick L Young (trader/advisor and author of 'Capital Market Revolution!', 'The Promiscuous Investor' and 'The Exchange Manifesto') to bring the project to fruition.
Contributors
Lee Robinson, James Ferguson, John Veals, Albert Edwards
Thomas Thygesen, Lee Quaintance & Paul Brodsky, Stephen Lewis
Dylan Grice, Howard Marks, Marc Lasry, David Rosenberg
Peter Tasker, Tom Burnett & Linda Varoli, Andrew M Lees
John Mauldin, Prieur du Plessis, Patrick L Young
Benefitting charities
Batten Disease Family Association
Child’s i Foundation
The Citizens Foundation
Amnesty International
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International
Paul Smith College
Help For Heroes
Kidscape
The Marks Family Writing Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mount Sinai Hospital, NY
Canadian Cancer Society
Room To Read
Union Settlement
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
Knightsbridge International
Proud Partners
Against the Odds Foundation (Poland)
Make a Wish Foundation
Trees for Life
Harris & Trotter charitable trust