History, Macro & Micro（文史藝術）

各位想讀一些中國經濟史書的話, China, A Macro History（中國
大歷史）一書不容錯過。作者黃仁宇(Ray Huang)，以他獨特的大
歷史觀去分析歷史，不純計較當事人的賢愚得失，而是追索端倪及
該事件對後世以至現在的影響．作者在這本書的開場白部份道出講
中華的天氣地理而形成中華民族的文化，特別係秦以降的大一統文
化，觀點新穎。再僈僈帶出為何中國停留在內向和非競爭性的小農
經濟，而不能像西方文明般發展資本主義。

作者嘗以經濟學角度分析歷朝之衰亡。尤值得細讀的是自明代起的
濫發寶鈔及貨幣政策的失敗令明清兩代退回保守的小農經濟政策。
Chapter 14："The Year of 1800" 那部份。可算係這部份的中心
思想點。作者最後提出，中國要現代化，就是要由｢數目上不可管
理｣的狀態，進化為｢數目上可管理｣的狀態。此乃作者認為成功進
化為資本主義的先決條件。全書趣味盎然，見解獨到，值得細讀。

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Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything." is a
short history of nearly everything -- from the tiniest quarks
and leptons to the expanse of the entire universe.

The book covers from the beginning of our planet 13 billion or
so years ago to the modern era. It is written by a bloke who
wanted to know more, so thus spent a few years researching
science stuffs and then put it into an informal manner that is
enjoyable and often humorous to read. Also includes quite a few
anecdotes about the weird but incredibly smart guys who found
out what we are made of and where we came from.