送禮的藝術: 從特洛伊木馬到動物園熊貓，50件外交禮物背後的世界史

by Paul Brummell, 鄭煥昇 (Translator), 保羅‧布魯梅爾

陛下想要大象或長頸鹿？鑽石還是月球岩石？
摧毀特洛伊只要一匹木馬，阻止戰爭要靠七隻河狸？
送什麼，如何送，處處有學問！
禮物交換的是地位、政權、和平，還是人心？
翻開千年贈禮史，看見國與國之間最奧妙的藝術！

市面第一本．剖析外交送禮的歷史趣聞錄
最會說故事的英國外交官，帶你看見不一樣的世界史
收錄50幅外交禮物的珍貴歷史圖片

2007年，島國格瑞那達為了一座體育館而放棄與臺灣的長年邦交，改投中華人民共和國的懷抱。招待中方大使的場館開幕儀式非常順利，直到格瑞那達皇家樂團不小心把中國國歌奏成了「三民主義」。這下可好，馬屁沒拍成，格瑞那達政府還淪為各國笑柄。

在極為看重象徵意義、牽一髮而動全身的外交場合，好的贈禮可以拉近兩國關係，壞的贈禮輕則失禮，重則貽笑千年，影響國家存亡。同一份禮物，可以帶來理解，也可能造成誤解，但正是這些理解或誤解，塑造了我們的世界。本書收錄了多達五十則外交送禮的故事，無論是桌子、車子或銀子，還是器物、礦物與動植物，全都充滿著趣味與寓意。

作者布魯梅爾擁有三十年外交經驗，他以幽默風趣的文筆，帶領讀者縱橫千年世界史，剖析國家贈禮的奧祕，以及每一件禮物背後的含義。無論是想增廣見聞、充實歷史知識的一般讀者，還是有志於國民外交與強化送禮手腕的現代公民，都不能錯過這本知性與樂趣兼具的讀物。

【這本書會告訴你】
．什麼是外交？國家為什麼需要外交？古代外交與現代外交有什麼不同？
．送禮有什麼社會功能與意義？國家送禮與個人送禮有什麼差異？
．歷史上有哪些成功的外交送禮？又有哪些弄巧成拙的案例？

　　

Genres: History, Nonfiction

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Degenerate Chemist · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Diplomatic Gifts" is a history book written by a diplomat that discusses gift giving and its importance to diplomacy. The book is a bit like eating a handful of different flavored jelly belly's. Its fine, but you'd be better eating them on bean at a time. Brummell discusses 50 instances of diplomatic giving in the space of 300ish pages. That didn't leave much room for analysis or discussion.

This book is an interesting pop history and well worth the time it takes to read. If nothing else I enjoyed the perspective Brummell brought to the topic.

[Lais · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se nota que teve uma pesquisa muito grande pra fazer esse livro, e ele mostra situações de presentes diplomáticos que vão desde animais vivos até roupas/diamantes ao longo dos séculos. De forma geral, gostei muito de entender mais a diplomacia em suas formas antigas e mais novas, entretanto achei que nos períodos mais atuais ele focou muito nos mesmos países do norte (EUA e afins) deixando de lado outras nações que poderiam ter sido citadas. Porém, mesmo assim achei um bom livro, mesmo sendo meio monotono e lento de leitura.

[Rev · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

I found a lot of the information in this book absolutely fascinating, and I would definitely like to have it for reference. However, I do wish that the author had perhaps pared down the number of gifts that were covered so that each gift that was covered could be covered in more detail. The political happenings that surrounded each gift were mentioned, briefly, but not enough for my personal tastes. Just something to keep in mind.

[Simon Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating trip through history. Highly recommended.