A few years later, a group of researchers: Rafael Anes, Carlos Fernández Pulgar, Diego Mateo del Peral, Pedro Tedde and Gabriel Tortella, undertook a far-reaching project on the history of the Spanish banking system. The result was La banca española en la Restauración, published in 1974. Since then, a number of books have been published by the Bank of Spain, sometimes in collaboration with commercial editors. To mention just two of these books: El Servicio de Estudios del Banco de España, 1930-2000; and Un siglo de historia del sistema financiero español (in Spanish and English). Moreover, the early history of the Bank has been covered by three volumes written by Tedde de Lorca: El Banco de San Carlos (1782-1829); El Banco Español de San Fernando, 1829-1856; and El Banco de España y el Estado liberal, 1847-1874. The Banco de España has also shown its interest in Spanish economic history through its annual research grants programme, financing the collection of Estudios de Historia Económica (or, in Banco de España parlance, “the red books”). There are now 72 of these studies, the first ones dating back to 1980. The aim of the Banco de España with this collection is to disseminate economic history papers written by its own staff or by researchers to whom it has awarded grants, in order “to enhance knowledge of Spanish economic history, paying particular attention to quantitative aspects”.
Keynes, both on microfilm, makes the library an excellent repository for undertaking any study of economic history. Let me conclude with a few words about today’s III Seminar of Economic History that we are opening now. As you can see in the programme, we have about thirty participants from a dozen universities, central banks and research centres. Economists from the Banco de España are participating as authors and also as discussants of a number of papers on historical episodes that are relevant to our understanding of the world of today. Many thanks to all the participants, authors and discussants. We are really honoured this year to have with us one of the leading expert in the history of central banking, Professor Charles Goodhart, for many years at the Bank of England and now at the London School of Economics. Thank you very much, Professor Goodhart, for joining us today. Now, without further ado, I give the floor to Pablo Martin Aceña, for his introductory remarks. 4/4