First published 2010
Niall Ferguson's High Financier chronicles the remarkable life of Siegmund Warburg, a German-Jewish refugee who rose to become the dominant figure in postwar London finance. Warburg's austere philosophy of banking, forged by the near-collapse of his family's firm under the Nazis, set him apart from the fast-buck crowd. As he built his own powerhouse, S.G. Warburg, Warburg became a key adviser to governments, a master of international finance, and a perfectionist who always put principle before profit. Through meticulous research, Ferguson reveals the full extent of Warburg's influence and the enduring lessons his story holds for our own age of instability.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, business, economics, 21st-century, finance
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-drama, rags-to-riches
Setting: London, Germany, Nazi Party
Period: Postwar
576 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press