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Niall Ferguson writes big books about really big topics—The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West, The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World and The Cash Nexus: Economics and Politics from the Age of Warfare Through the Age of Welfare, 1700-2000, just to name a few.
At first blush, his latest book, High Financier, seems different. It focuses on "The Lives and Time" of just one man, Siegmund Warburg.
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Sitting in the midst of summer, food is generally a hot topic as cooking becomes more of a regular occasion (grilling out, picnics, etc. ). Two books landed on my desk that admittedly made my mouth water, while imagining the business implications likely addressed within.
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A lot of business is not only getting back on it's feet, some companies are even downright starting to thrive. Except, it seems, any involved in the music industry. While there's certainly some interesting things happening in the independent realm, the major labels are struggling hard, and it's very questionable if they'll ever get back to where they were.
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Just when you think the stories of excess and insanity on Wall Street can't get any more unseemly, along comes The Zeroes: My Misadventures in the Decade Wall Street Went Insane by Randall Lane, released today by Portfolio. In particular, there is the chapter entitled "Nails" about his business relationship with Lenny Dykstra. If you've never heard of Mr.
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Very timely, Tom Bower's eighteenth book, Oil: Money, Politics, and Power in the 21st Century, was released by the Grand Central Publishing house today. It is a riveting story of the last twenty years in oil exploration and speculation. I don't often quote press releases, but this book's is spot on:
Oil is a story of intrigue, of greed, of arrogance, and extreme risk.
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