Paul Strathern studied philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin, then served in the Merchant Marine for two years. His book Mendeleyev’s Dream was short-listed for the Aventis Science Prize. He wrote some twenty-five titles in the Philosophers in 90 Minutes series, which have been translated into more than two dozen languages. He has also written five novels, one of which, A Season in Abyssinia, received a Somerset Maugham Award. His more recent works include Napoleon in Egypt and The Artist, The Philosopher and the Warrior: Leonardo, Machiavelli and Borgia, A Fateful Collusion. This Now and Then piece is drawn from his forthcoming book on the South Sea Bubble and the simultaneous wrecking of the French financial system by the Scottish adventurer John Law.
