OUVRARD, Gabriel-Julien.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Mémoires sur sa vie et ses diverses opérations financières. First edition of vols I & III, second edition of vol. II, with a secretarial presentation inscription on the half-titles of Volumes II & III. Writing towards the end of a storied career, Ouvrard (1770-1846) reflects on his work financing the Revolutionary armies, underwriting the Bank of France during the Napoleonic Wars, and then attempting to facilitate French repayments after Waterloo. In the latter, his proposal to issue paper bonds is often cited as evidence that the French were less resistant to the notion of paper assets (following John Law), than was previously thought.

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