Biography: business and industry Books

Book SynopsisFrom the birth of modern industry to winning WWII to Japan''s Economic Miracle, W. Edwards Deming helped shape some of the most profound moments in modern history. Deming, an American engineer and statistician, is widely recognized for his contributions to the field of quality management. But his teachings go beyond quality management; they influence not only how we work today, but also how we can continue to succeed in the future. Part business history, part biography, part journey into deep business sense, bestselling author John Willis captures the full picture of Deming''s life and influence. Most importantly, Willis reveals the experiences that led to Deming''s greatest discovery: the System of Profound Knowledge, a collection of fundamental truths that show how any system or process can be transformed into something greater.From the real-life Rosie the Riveter to a hacker writing US cybersecurity law, Deming''s ingenuity and system of thinking changed how we think in the modern world. This book shows how we can take that influence and continue to apply it our own future.

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Book Synopsis''Manual for success'' The AthleticWith an opening chapter by Sir Jim RatcliffeTo mark the 25th Anniversary of the founding of INEOS in 1998, seven leading specialist authors explore the main strands of INEOS''s business, including its core chemical business to its ventures into sport, automotive, consumer goods, sustainability, next generation and philanthropy.* Dominic O''Connell on INEOS'' core petrochemicals and energy business* Patrick Barclay on INEOS''s involvement in sport from the America''s Cup to cycling, athletics to Formula 1 and football* Quentin Willson on the building of the Grenadier from scratch in response to the demise of the Land Rover Defender* Steph McGovern on INEOS'' move into the consumer goods sector with brands such as Belstaff and INEOS Hygienics, so vital during the pandemic* Sean Keach on INEOS'' journey to Net Zero and sustainable investment* Lord Sebastian CoeTrade ReviewThe book tells us more about why Ratcliffe wants to buy Manchester United, how he would fund it and what an INEOS-run United would look like than anything produced in the past eight months of best-intentioned guesswork. * The Athletic *

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Book SynopsisOn October 28th, hours after completing a $44 billion takeover of Twitter, Elon Musk Tweeted to his millions of followers ''The bird is freed.''Musk''s takeover of Twitter was one of the most audacious and remarkable deals in tech history. The Battle for Twitter takes readers back to the very beginning and how we reached this point. It looks at the origins of the platform, the vision of its co-founder Jack Dorsey, and how it became a battleground for ideas, controversies, and viral moments that shaped the world we live in today.With meticulous research and unprecedented access, author Kurt Wagner paints a vivid portrait of power struggles, bitter rivalries, and ground-breaking decisions that have shaped the evolution of Twitter. From Musk''s audacious tweets to Dorsey''s enigmatic persona, The Battle for Twitter uncovers the depths of their involvement, revealing the forces that have propelled them to the forefront of global attention. In this grippin

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Book SynopsisGambling Man is the biography of one of the world's least known but most consequential investors.Japan's Masayoshi Son has made and lost several fortunes, investing or controlling assets worth $1 trillion in the past two decades through his media-tech giant, SoftBank. He bankrolled Alibaba, China's internet colossus, before the world had heard about it; plotted with Steve Jobs to turn the iPhone into a wonder product; and financed hundreds of tech start-ups, fuelling the biggest boom Silicon Valley has ever seen. This book takes you on Son's wild ride, from his birthplace in a Korean slum in post-war Japan to the modern-day temples of power. It speeds through Donald Trump's golden skyscraper in Manhattan, the royal palaces of Riyadh and the throne rooms of China's Marxist rulers; all places where Son has deployed his unique blend of financial engineering and crazy risk-taking. Son's story captures a 25 year-span of hyper-globalisation in which money, technologies and ideas flowed freely. From the launch of the microchip to the advent of artificial intelligence, he has ridden the technological wave which has created extraordinary wealth and economic change. His topsy-turvy business career is testimony to the power of optimism, daring to dream, ever in search of the Next Big Thing. As an ethnic Korean in Japan, Son has overcome adversity and discrimination to become Japan's best-known businessman and empire-builder but he remains an elusive, intensely private figure. This book, by a former editor of the Financial Times, contains a wealth of new information and has had the co-operation of many of the key participants, including Son himself. Written with a verve appropriate to its subject, Gambling Man reveals the man behind the money, what drives him, why he matters, and what he plans for his next act.

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Book SynopsisFifteen years after Bernie Madoff’s arrest, renowned investigative journalist Richard Behar delivers the definitive account of history’s largest—and longest-running—financial fraud.Some $68 billion evaporated during Bernie Madoff’s epic confidence game. Two people were driven to suicide in the wake of the Ponzi Scheme’s exposure. Others went to prison. But there has never been a satisfying accounting for how Bernie got away with so much, for so long. Until now. Richard Behar’s relationship with Madoff began in 2011 with a simple email request from the inmate. By the time Madoff died in 2021, he had sent Behar more than 300 emails and dozens of handwritten letters, participated in some fifty phone conversations, and sat for three in-person jailhouse interviews—a level of access provided to no other reporter. Behar also established relationships with hundreds of regulators, prosecutors, FBI agents, investors,

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Book SynopsisThe son of a meat market porter and an office cleaner, Peter Cruddas left Shoreditch Comprehensive School at the age of fifteen with no qualifications and a part-time job as a milkman. Today he's Lord Cruddas of Shoreditch, the founder of a GBP1.5 billion financial trading company and a distinguished philanthropist, giving to over 200 charities through his foundation, which helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Fed up with Labour's economic mismanagement, Cruddas began his foray into politics, becoming a key Conservative Party donor. But after being elevated to treasurer in 2011, he fell victim to a Sunday Times sting in which he was falsely accused of breaking the law on party donations. With unflinching honesty, he reveals the full story of his successful libel battle and opens a Pandora's box of profound wider questions about newspaper dark arts and the power of the British press over the judicial system. Refusing to be scared off from the political world, Cruddas co-founded the winning Vote Leave campaign. Here, he gives a detailed insider view of the real reasons behind the victory and contemplates how Britain can now thrive outside the EU. Filled with heartbreak and elation, this is the extraordinary story of Cruddas's epic rise from an east London council estate to a Mayfair mansion - and includes plenty of tips for budding billionaires.

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Book SynopsisThe gripping and shocking story of three generations of the Sackler family and their roles in the stories of Valium, OxyContin and the opioid crisis. The inspiration behind the Netflix series Painkiller, starring Uzo Aduba and Matthew Broderick.The Sunday Times BestsellerWinner of the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-FictionA BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week'Shortlisted for the 2021 Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year AwardOne of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2021Shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction'I gobbled up Empire of Pain . . . a masterclass in compelling narrative nonfiction.' – Elizabeth Day, The Guardian '30 Best Summer Reads'‘You feel almost guilty for enjoying it so much’ – The TimesThe Sackler name adorns the walls of many storied institutions – Harvard; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Oxford; the Louvre. They are one of the richest families in the world, known for their lavish donations in the arts and the sciences. The source of the family fortune was vague, however, until it emerged that the Sacklers were responsible for making and marketing Oxycontin, a blockbuster painkiller that was a catalyst for the opioid crisis – an international epidemic of drug addiction which has killed nearly half a million people.In this masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing, award-winning journalist and host of the Wind of Change podcast Patrick Radden Keefe exhaustively documents the jaw-dropping and ferociously compelling reality. Empire of Pain is the story of a dynasty: a parable of twenty-first-century greed.'There are so many "they did what?" moments in this book, when your jaw practically hits the page' – Sunday TimesTrade ReviewThere are so many "they did what?" moments in this book, when your jaw practically hits the page * Sunday Times *This is no dense medical tome, but a page-turner with a villainous family to rival the Roys in Succession, and one where every chapter ends with the perfect bombshell. * Esquire *The story of the Sacklers and OxyContin is a parable of the modern era of philanthropy being deployed to burnish the reputations of financiers and entrepreneurs . . . [A] tour-de-force * Financial Times *Put simply, this book will make your blood boil . . . a devastating portrait of a family consumed by greed and unwilling to take the slightest responsibility or show the least sympathy for what it wrought . . . a highly readable and disturbing narrative. -- John Carreyrou, author of Bad Blood * New York Times Book Review *An engrossing (and frequently enraging) tale of striving, secrecy and self-delusion . . . Even when detailing the most sordid episodes, Keefe’s narrative voice is calm and admirably restrained, allowing his prodigious reporting to speak for itself. His portrait of the family is all the more damning for its stark lucidity. -- Jennifer Szalai * New York Times *A true tragedy in multiple acts. It is the story of a family that lost its moorings and its morals . . . Written with novelistic family-dynasty and family-dynamic sweep, Empire of Pain is a pharmaceutical Forsythe Saga, a book that in its way is addictive, with a page-turning forward momentum. -- David M. Shribman * Boston Globe *Explosive . . . Keefe marshals a large pile of evidence and deploys it with prosecutorial precision . . . Keefe is a gifted storyteller who excels at capturing personalities. * Washington Post *An air-tight indictment of the family behind the opioid crisis . . . [an] impressive exposé -- Harriet Ryan * Los Angeles Times *A damning portrait of the Sacklers, the billionaire clan behind the OxyContin epidemic . . . [Keefe] has a knack for crafting lucid, readable descriptions of the sort of arcane business arrangements the Sacklers favored. -- Laura Miller * Slate *Keefe has a way of making the inaccessible incredibly digestible, of morphing complex stories into page-turning thrillers, and he's done it again with Empire of Pain . . . equal parts juicy society gossip and historical record. -- Seija Rankin * Entertainment Weekly *

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Book SynopsisAn insight into the man at the heart of the world’s most infamous maritime disasterTrade ReviewCliff Ismay has done a terrific job of telling Joseph Bruce Ismay's life story, and has thoroughly outlined the chairman's relationship with the White Star Line as well as his controversial survival of the Titanic disaster. In short, this is the Ismay biography we've all been waiting for. -- George BeheBeing the Great Granddaughter of Margaret (The Unsinkable Molly) Brown, I am no stranger to the many misconceptions that have been circulated about my ancestor. Cliff Ismay is also familiar with this regarding his famous ancestor, J. Bruce Ismay.This book is sure to educate and surprise you. Cliff will show you the Bruce Ismay to whom you have never been introduced. So, I encourage you to enjoy this very insightful look into the life of a man you only thought you knew. -- Helen BenzigerThe name J. Bruce Ismay summons strong feelings from many who have studied the Titanic story. Many see him as a villain while others see his efforts loading the lifeboats as a reason to view him differently. In Understanding J. Bruce Ismay, we are taken on a journey into Ismay’s life, giving insight to the man who became infamous during the early morning of April 15, 1912. Enjoy this different perspective of J. Bruce Ismay’s life. -- Bill Willard

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Book Synopsis In this New York Times bestseller, ayoung and successful entrepreneur makes the case that politics has no place in business, and sets out a new vision for the future of American capitalism. There?s a new invisible force at work in our economic and cultural lives. It affects every advertisement we see and every product we buy, from our morning coffee to a new pair of shoes. ?Stakeholder capitalism? makes rosy promises of a better, more diverse, environmentally-friendly world, but in reality this ideology championed by America?s business and political leaders robs us of our money, our voice, and our identity. Vivek Ramaswamy is a traitor to his class. He?s founded multibillion-dollar enterprises, led a biotech company as CEO, he became a hedge fund partner in his 20s, trained as a scientist at Harvard and a lawyer at Yale, and grew up the child of immigrants in a small town in Ohio. Now he takes us behind the scenes into corporate boardrooms and five-star conferences, into Ivy League classrooms and secretive nonprofits, to reveal the defining scam of our century. The modern woke-industrial complex divides us as a people. By mixing morality with consumerism, America?s elites prey on our innermost insecurities about who we really are. They sell us cheap social causes and skin-deep identities to satisfy our hunger for a cause and our search for meaning, at a moment when we as Americans lack both. This book not only rips back the curtain on the new corporatist agenda, it offers a better way forward. America?s elites may want to sort us into demographic boxes, but we don?t have to stay there. Woke, Inc.begins as a critique of stakeholder capitalism and ends with an exploration of what it means to be an American today?a journey that begins with cynicism and ends with hope.

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At the summit of his power, John Law was the most famous man in Europe. Born in Scotland in 1671, he was convicted of murder in London and, after his escape from prison, fled Scotland for the mainland when Union with England brought with it a warrant for his arrest. On the continent he lurched from one money-making scheme to the next - selling insurance against losing lottery tickets in Holland, advising the Duke of Savoy - amassing a fortune of some £80,000.But for his next trick he had grander ambitions. When Louis XIV died, leaving a thoroughly bankrupt France to his five-year-old heir, Law gained the ear of the Regent, Philippe D'Orleans. In the years that followed, Law's financial wizardry transformed the fortunes of France, enriching speculators and investors across the continent, and he was made Controller-General of Finances, effectively becoming the French Prime Minister. But the fall from grace that was to follow was every bit as spectacular as his meteoric rise.John Law, by a biographer of Adam Smith and the author of Frozen Desire and Capital of the Mind, dramatises the life of one of the most inventive financiers in history, a man who was born before his time and in whose day the word millionaire came to be coined.

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Book SynopsisChina's economic rise and influence has been one of the most significant developments in the global economy of recent times. A driving force behind this expansion has been the private entrepreneurs and companies of China, some of which have literally redefined the economic and business landscape, both inside and outside of China. With a $15,000 loan from his father, the former high school dropout and factory worker Wang Wei started up his courier delivery service, SF Express, in 1993. This book is a classic rags-to-riches story of a young entrepreneur who grew SF Express into a logistics empire with revenues of $7 billion and 400,000 employees by 2015. The phenomenal rise of Wang and his company was further propelled by a $30 billion public listing in Shanghai in 2018. By any standards, this is one of the most remarkable entrepreneurial stories of recent times.

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Book SynopsisChina's economic rise and influence has been one of the most significant developments in the global economy of recent times. A driving force behind this expansion has been the private entrepreneurs and companies of China, some of which have literally redefined the economic and business landscape, both inside and outside of China. Born in a small fishing village in 1967 to a poor family, Guo Guangchang's break came when the Chinese government began to encourage business enterprise. He and four university friends set up their own company in 1992 to advise foreign companies that were entering into China. Fosun International eventually became the largest private enterprise in China by expanding into insurance, pharmaceuticals, property, mining, retail and finance. Today, Guo is the Chairman of Fosun International and this book provides a unique, inside examination of Guo and his company's remarkable global expansion.

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Book SynopsisThe book behind the Netflix series, starring Octavia Spencer'One of the most fabulous African-American figures of the twentieth century' Ishmael ReedMadam Walker was the first free-born child in her family, growing up in abject poverty in post-Civil War America. From humble beginnings, she overcame societal prejudice, family betrayals and epic business rivalries to pioneer cosmetics that revolutionised black hair care, build a beauty empire, and become one of the wealthiest self-made women in America. Not only an astute businesswoman, but a passionate activist and philanthropist, Madam Walker provided jobs and training for thousands of African American women across the country, and used her wealth to fight for equality, forming friendships with important civil rights voices such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington and Ida B. Wells-Barnett along the way. Drawn from more than two decades of research by her great-great-granddaughter, journalist and historian A'Lelia Bundles, Self Made is the definitive biography of Madam Walker's inspirational life and an illuminating insight into the larger African American struggle in the early twentieth century.'An important piece of history' Washington Post'A fascinating portrait of an astonishing woman' Kirkus ReviewsPreviously published as On Her Own GroundTrade ReviewA fascinating book about a fascinating woman . . . a wonderful story of an entrepreneur, but also a story about a dedicated African-American woman who was committed to giving her time and money to her community - USA TodayBundles tells the tale with obvious affection and impressive scholarship . . .Walker's fable comes up fresh and inspirational - Chicago TribuneWell-paced and well-written . . . as much social history as biography, filled with the detail and texture of culture and politics - New York TimesVivdly recounts the rise of the washerwoman who would light the way for other black businesswomen, bankroll YMCAs and lead an anti-lynching campaign all the way to the White House - People magazine

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Book SynopsisIn an industry littered with great characters and extraordinary personalities, Joe Hobbs stands out as one of the whisky world's most colourful and interesting entrepreneurs, a man who packed more into each decade of his life than most people manage in a lifetime. Whilst individual episodes and activities of his life are quite well known, his fascinating and wide-ranging full life story has not been told before, despite the fact Joe features in Whisky Magazine's list of Top 100 Most Influential Whisky Figures' of all time. Not Your Average Joe tells the fascinating story of how the son of a bankrupt English farmer rose to be one of the leading figures in the history of the Scotch whisky industry, making two fortunes and losing one along the way. The book explains Joe's pioneering exploits as one of the first military aviators during WW1; his controversial rum-running activities into the USA during Prohibition in the 1920s; his leading role in designing and building the city of Vancouver's first skyscraper; his rise as one of the leading Scotch whisky barons'; and his pioneering transformation of a derelict 10,000 acre Scottish Highland estate into the UK's first cattle ranch during Britain's battle for beef' in the lean years after WW2.

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Book SynopsisJack Leblanc arrived in China in 1989 intending to teach for just two years. He was to spend the next two decades on a very different learning curve as he became involved in a series of business ventures in almost every part of the Middle Kingdom. From farmyard to factory, boardroom to banquet, Leblanc witnessed (and occasionally assisted) the transformation of China from a socialist economy into the world''s greatest experiment in capitalism. Over time it dawned upon him that the key to success is to manage the differences in Chinese and Western business behaviour. To do well in China you must carefully adapt your strategies or face ruin faster than you can learn how to use chopsticks.

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Book Synopsis''Part Ozymandias, part Succession'' - Financial Times''A tour de force'' - GuardianA Financial Times Book of the Year 2023The inside story of the rise and fall of the Barclay brothers, secretive business titans and one-time owners of the Ritz and the Daily TelegraphBorn poor, the Barclay brothers were enigmatic twins who built one of the biggest fortunes in Britain together from scratch and spent six decades at the epicentre of business, media and politics. Their empire, said to be worth 7bn at its height, included Littlewoods, the Ritz Hotel, the Daily Telegraph and the channel island of Brecqhou. They were major advocates for Brexit and well-connected with influential politicians including Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage.And yet despite their fortune and influence, their fiercely guarded desire for privacy has meant that their story has remained la

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Book SynopsisFrom Victoria Glendinning, winner of the Duff Cooper Prize, the James Tait Black Prize and (twice) the Whitbread Prize for Biography.It'sSuccessionin tailcoats and spats This is a vivid and eye-opening group biography, backgrounded by the rise of supermarket moguls from humble beginnings' Sunday TimesWho was John Lewis? What story lies behind the retail empire that bears his name? Behind the glass windows and displays of soft furnishing, this book reveals the family that founded the shops in all their eccentricities, and whose relationships became blighted by conflicts of epic proportions as their wealth bloomed.Born into poverty, John Lewis was orphaned at the age of seven when his father died in a Somerset workhouse. Dreaming of a better life, the young man travelled to London at the start of what would become a retail revolution. From early years as a draper's apprentice, we see how Lewis's first pokey little business opened on Oxford Street in 1864, and expanded as an emerging midTrade Review‘The store that changed shopping was built by a dynasty whose secrets, fights and feuds would have made gripping TV drama … Victoria Glendinning is an eminent literary biographer whose subjects include Vita Sackville-West and Edith Sitwell. So what possessed her to write about a 157-year-old commercial enterprise famous for affordable haberdashery, wedding-list glassware and cute Christmas TV commercials? The answer lies in the subtitle: Glendinning’s story of the Lewis dynasty is extremely “intimate” — a saga of family fights and obsessions, epic stand-offs and wild ambitions, stressed-out womenfolk and unhappy children. It’s Succession in tailcoats and spats … This is a vivid and eye-opening group biography, backgrounded by the rise of supermarket moguls from humble beginnings’John Walsh, Sunday Times ‘You’ll never look at John Lewis in the same away after reading this compelling survey of the family behind the department store … Glendinning’s fascination is contagious, and she blends in the ingredients of a family saga with insights into the partnership’s ethical underpinnings, acknowledging the romance of golden-age bricks-and-mortar retail as well as its uncertain future’Observer ‘She brings the Lewis family to life with wry commentary and telling detail’Financial Times ‘Lucky John Lewis. As company histories go, nobody could wish for a more skilful chronicler than Victoria Glendinning, who has a slew of biographies to her name. She calls her work an ‘intimate history’, and indeed it is full of domestic rows, curious relationships … [It offers] careful documentation of a remarkable retail experiment’Literary Review

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Book SynopsisSea Statemarks the arrival of a gifted and exciting new voice' Jon McGregor, author of Reservoir 13SHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE PORTICO PRIZEA GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2021A candid examination of the life of North Sea oil riggers, and an explosive portrayal of masculinity, loneliness and female desire.In her mid-30s and sprung out of a terrible relationship, Tabitha quit her job at a women's magazine, left London and put her savings into a six-month lease on a flat in a dodgy neighbourhood in Aberdeen she was going to make good on a long-deferred idea for a book about oil rigs and the men who work on them. Why oil rigs? I wanted to see what men were like, with no women around.Sea State is, on the one hand, a portrait of an overlooked industry, and a fascinating subculture in its own right: offshore' is a way of life for generations of British workers, primarily working class men. Offshore is also a potent metaphor for a lot of things we might rather keep at baTrade Review'A breathtaking memoir … The prose is stunning: gimlet-eyed and brutal' Tomiwa Owolade, Sunday Times, Books of the Year ‘Contemporary writing at its finest, without any hint of effort, egoism or pretentiousness on Lasley’s part. She is an astoundingly good writer, and this is an astoundingly good book’ Irish Times 'These are powerful and moving stories of working lives in a dangerous and all-male environment, made all the more powerful by the way Lasley refuses to absent herself from the telling. The writing is carefully and unobtrusively polished, with hard edges and unflinching clarity … Sea State marks the arrival of a gifted and exciting new voice’ Jon McGregor, author of Reservoir 13 ‘It’s extraordinary. It takes you places so few books do … it gets inside the heads that are mostly ignored by publishing’ Observer ‘A startlingly original study of love, masculinity and the cost of a profession that few outside of it can truly understand’ Guardian ‘She has the skill, a Joan Didion kind of skill, of inflecting non-fiction material subjectively, a habit of assessing situations via her nervous system … Sea State has all the presentness of fiction, as well as the exactitude of the non-fiction novel and the gleam of confession’ Andrew O’Hagan, author of Mayflies, LRB ‘Acidic, addictive reporting with a fictional veneer. Sea State’s writing alone is worth the admission price’ Financial Times ‘A powerful blend of journalism and memoir … Beautifully written, disquieting, it reminds me of Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women’ David Nicholls, author of Sweet Sorrow 'Piercing, brutally candid, addictive. A memoir like no other … If you were gripped by Lisa Taddeo's Three Women, this is for you' Rachel Cooke, author of Her Brilliant Career ‘Incredibly compelling’ Sarah Hall, author of Burntcoat

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Book SynopsisSea Statemarks the arrival of a gifted and exciting new voice' Jon McGregor, author of Reservoir 13SHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE PORTICO PRIZEA GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2021'It's extraordinary. It takes you places so few books do'ObserverAcidic, addictive reporting with a fictional veneer. Sea State's writing alone is worth the admission price'Financial TimesTabitha Lasley left her job, her relationship and London, and headed to Aberdeen to meet offshore oil rig workers. She wanted to see what men are like with no women around. She soon finds out what she is like with no one else around, save for itinerant men who spend half their lives stranded in the middle of the sea. Alone, and contemplating the wreckage of her former life, she dives into a relationship with the first rig worker she meets, a reckless affair that lays them both bare.She has the skill, a Joan Didion kind of skill, of inflecting non-fiction material subjectively, a habit of assessing situations via her nervous system' Andrew O'Hagan, author of MayfliesTrade Review'A breathtaking memoir … The prose is stunning: gimlet-eyed and brutal' Tomiwa Owolade, Sunday Times, Books of the Year ‘Contemporary writing at its finest, without any hint of effort, egoism or pretentiousness on Lasley’s part. She is an astoundingly good writer, and this is an astoundingly good book’ Irish Times 'These are powerful and moving stories of working lives in a dangerous and all-male environment, made all the more powerful by the way Lasley refuses to absent herself from the telling. The writing is carefully and unobtrusively polished, with hard edges and unflinching clarity … Sea State marks the arrival of a gifted and exciting new voice’ Jon McGregor, author of Reservoir 13 ‘It’s extraordinary. It takes you places so few books do … it gets inside the heads that are mostly ignored by publishing’ Observer ‘A startlingly original study of love, masculinity and the cost of a profession that few outside of it can truly understand’ Guardian ‘She has the skill, a Joan Didion kind of skill, of inflecting non-fiction material subjectively, a habit of assessing situations via her nervous system … Sea State has all the presentness of fiction, as well as the exactitude of the non-fiction novel and the gleam of confession’ Andrew O’Hagan, author of Mayflies, LRB ‘Acidic, addictive reporting with a fictional veneer. Sea State’s writing alone is worth the admission price’ Financial Times ‘A powerful blend of journalism and memoir … Beautifully written, disquieting, it reminds me of Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women’ David Nicholls, author of Sweet Sorrow 'Piercing, brutally candid, addictive. A memoir like no other … If you were gripped by Lisa Taddeo's Three Women, this is for you' Rachel Cooke, author of Her Brilliant Career ‘Incredibly compelling’ Sarah Hall, author of Burntcoat

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Book Synopsis*THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* *A Financial Times Book of the Year*A political epic' GuardianThis is the book Trump fears most.' AxiosFew journalists have covered Donald Trump more extensively than Maggie Haberman. And few better understand the polarizing 45th president or his motivations. In this astonishing, illuminating book, Haberman reveals all about Trump the man, the president and the phenomenon.Interviews with hundreds of sources and with Trump himself portray a complicated and often contradictory figure. Capable of kindness but relying on casual cruelty as it suits his purposes. Pugnacious. Insecure. Lonely. Vindictive. Menacing. Smarter than his critics contend and colder and more calculating than his allies believe. A man who embedded himself in popular culture for decades, laying the groundwork to galvanize support for a successful run for high office.Chronicling Trump's entire career, from his rise in New York City to his tortured post-presidency and potential comebaTrade Review‘A devastating portrait’ Economist ‘Maggie Haberman, the New York Times’ Trump whisperer, delivers. Her latest book is much more than 600 pages of context, scoop and drama. It is a political epic, tracing Donald Trump’s journey from the streets of Queens to Manhattan’s Upper East Side, from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, his Elba. There, the 45th president holds court – and broods and plots his return.’Guardian ‘[Confidence Man] will be a primary source about the most vexing president in American history for years to come… [Haberman] is an exemplar of her craft, relentless, judicious and even-keeled.’ New York Times

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Book SynopsisIf you want to be a successful leader in today's business world, you need to think like an activist. If you want to be a successful leader in today's business world, you need to think like an activist.This urgent and essential book shows how to do just that. The Activist Leader argues that the world needs a new kind of business leader, one that thinks differently about their role in today's challenges. From climate change to inequality, the major crises facing society have become critical issues for business, and the world expects companies to step up.This is a pragmatic book. Jon Miller and Lucy Parker show what it takes to do business in these challenging times, taking a close look at companies such as Apple, Mastercard, Nestle, Maersk, JP Morgan Chase and Walmart.Most people feel powerless when they look at the problems facing the world but if you're a leader in a big business, you're not powerless. Whether you're a top executive or earlier in your working life, this book shows thaTrade Review Praise for The Activist Leader: ‘Today’s challenges require a different kind of leadership that is well embodied this book with some very practical suggestions on how to get there. This indeed is a must read for all current and aspiring leaders’Paul Polman, former CEO, Unilever ‘The Activist Leader captures the essence of what the public around us wants and expects: Business as a force for good, while staying true to what it is – a business, creating value for its shareholders and all relevant stakeholders. The roadmap for this delicate balancing act is still under development and this book, which builds on many specific examples, will serve as an important milestone’Mark Schneider, CEO, Nestlé ‘In order to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the world today we need to transition to a circular economy. As in all major transformations, this shift requires vision and leadership from the top. The Activist Leader clearly demonstrates how this is not only necessary, but also possible, providing both direction and practical advice on how to lead a business successfully and at the same time actively improve the world we live in’Andrew Morlet, CEO, Ellen MacArthur Foundation

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Book SynopsisThe first definitive account of one of Ireland's most controversial business storiesFounded in 2009 by the enigmatic Paddy Cosgrave, Web Summit started as a 150-person meet up in Dublin. Within a decade, it grew to a 70,000 gathering of industry leaders. The gravitas of big names and the vibrant atmosphere of the conference would convince leaders of companies big and small that Web Summit was the place to be for experts and more importantly, was worth the price of participating.But, under the bright lights of its success, Web Summit appeared to unravel. After spending years using social media to target people he disagrees with, and leading Web Summit with what some say was unfettered power for much of this time, in October 2023 Paddy Cosgrave resigned in a storm of controversy following his own online comments. But less than six months later, Paddy has returned as chief executive and embroiled in a series of lawsuits with his co-founders, Web Summit seems to be edging toward some sort of reckoning.In Drama Drives Interest, journalist Catherine Sanz chronicles the historic rise, fall, and rise again of Paddy Cosgrave and provides the first definitive account of one of Ireland's most controversial business stories.

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Book SynopsisMuch more personal than standard corporate histories, David Packard's The HP Way provides insights into managing and motivating people and inspiration for would–be entrepreneurs.

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Book SynopsisDespite the crush of media attention on Madoff's scam, little is known about Madoff himself. What could lead a seemingly good man to ruin the lives of everyone who ever cared about him? What caused Bernie Madoff to commit an unspeakable act of betrayal, bankrupting his family and thousands of investors who depended upon him for their livelihoods?Trade Review"Andrew Kirtzman's Betrayal offers the biggest payoff of the three [Madoff] books. It's a perfect meld of business details and personalities... He has perfect pitch when it comes to the agony and shame of the Jewish community." -- Time magazine "Accurate and highly readable." -- Wall Street Journal "Kirtzman's book is the more engaging read, focusing much more on Madoff himself and on the anger and shame his crimes provoked, whether in the Fifth Avenue Synagogue in New York or the confines of the Palm Beach Country Club in Florida." -- Reuters

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"As glamorous and gossipy as one could wish." -- Slate "Ford's status as a controversial, demanding figure isn't ignored in Lacey's portrait of one of the hardest working women in fashion. The juicy details of a tell-all are met with the nuance of a memoir in this portrait of the woman he recalls as the 'matriarch of modeling.'" -- New York Observer "A high-powered page-turner." -- Daily Beast "Unputdownable ... left me not only full of admiration for her achievements but also rather liking her...Lacey weaves riveting narratives into his account of the life of Ford ... with an eye for detail and juicy anecdotes." -- Financial Times "Exhaustively and painstakingly researched, yielding a biography that serves as a testament both to this woman's professional prowess as well as her personal life...In the world of fashion related biographies, this surely ranks up there with some of the best." -- New York Journal of Books "A fascinating look at the woman who, perhaps more than anyone, shaped our ideas of what it means to be a sophisticated American beauty." -- People "Culled from countless hours of interviews... Lacey diligently maps the agency's explosive success and skillfully intertwines the glitz and cutthroat melodrama of the modeling world with Ford's shrewd, intimidating business strategies, uncanny vision, and ability to merge beauty with fame." -- Kirkus "In the fascinating Model Woman, author Robert Lacey paints Ford as an intriguing paradox...A wholly entertaining, insightful and slightly bitchy look inside the moneyed world of modeling." -- BookPage "An intensive look at a highly competitive business, with fabulous turf battles and clashing egos among the biggest names in fashion... A compelling portrait of a savvy businesswoman who transformed the modeling business." -- Booklist

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Book SynopsisPart memoir and part social criticism, The Glass Closet addresses the issue of homophobia that still pervades corporations around the world and underscores the immense challenges faced by LGBT employees.In The Glass Closet, Lord John Browne, former CEO of BP, seeks to unsettle business leaders by exposing the culture of homophobia that remains rampant in corporations around the world, and which prevents employees from showing their authentic selves.Drawing on his own experiences, and those of prominent members of the LGBT community around the world, as well as insights from well-known business leaders and celebrities, Lord Browne illustrates why, despite the risks involved, self-disclosure is best for employees—and for the businesses that support them. Above all, The Glass Closet offers inspiration and support for those who too often worry that coming out will hinder their chances of professional success.

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Book SynopsisAn honest, sharp-witted, practical guide to help you get and keep the job you want—from an outsider whose been there and done it, a woman who went from being a broke, divorced, college dropout to running some of the biggest websites in the world.Jennifer Romolini started her career as an awkward twenty-seven-year-old misfit, navigated her way through New York media and became a boss—an editor-in-chief, an editorial director, and a vice president—all within little more than a decade. Her book, Weird In A World That’s Not, asserts that being outside-the-norm and achieving real, high-level success are not mutually exclusive, even if the perception of the business world often seems otherwise, even if it seems like only office-politicking extroverts are set up for reward. Part career memoir, part real-world guide, Weird in a World That’s Not offers relatable advice on how to achieve your dreams, even when the odds seem stacked

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Splendid. . . . haunting and beautifully written. . . . This is a terrific book.” — Washington Post "An incredible story." — People “A dramatic tale expertly told of rapacious ambition, decadent excess, and covert and overt tyranny and trauma. . . . With resplendent detail, the authors capture the gasp-eliciting extravagance of the Vanderbilt Gilded Age mansions. . . . With its intrinsic empathy and in-depth profiles of women, this is a distinctly intimate, insightful, and engrossing chronicle of an archetypal, self-consuming American dynasty. . . . Irresistible.” — Booklist (starred review) “Marked by meticulous research and deep emotional insight, this is a memorable chronicle of American royalty.” — Publishers Weekly “A remarkably frank and tender undertaking.” — The New York Times on The Rainbow Comes and Goes "Meaningful, revealing." — The Wall Street Journal on The Rainbow Comes and Goes “Fascinating, forthright, philosophical, and inspiring, these mother-and-son musings on family, life, death, forgiveness, fame, and perseverance are at once uniquely personal and deeply human.” — Booklist (starred review) on The Rainbow Comes and Goes “Cooper is a storyteller with plenty of heart. . . . A smart, soulful page-turner. . . . Strong stuff, and in Cooper’s hands, well told.” — People on Dispatches from the Edge “His vignettes from the world’s horrorscapes rise above the swagger of many journalistic memoirs because Cooper writes with competence as well as feeling. . . . Intriguing.” — Washington Post Book World on Dispatches from the Edge

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Book SynopsisA WALL STREET JOURNAL AND USA TODAY BESTSELLERFeaturing an introduction by President Jimmy CarterThe Home Depot cofounder and owner of the NFL''s Atlanta Falcons and MLS''s Atlanta United shares a vision and a roadmap for values-based business. Arthur M. Blank believes that for good companies, purpose and profit can-and should-go hand in hand. And he should know. Together with cofounder Bernie Marcus, Blank built The Home Depot from an idea and a dream to a $50 billion-dollar company, the leading home improvement retailer in the world. And even while opening a new store every 42 hours, they never lost sight of their commitment to care for their people and communities. In fact, in 2001, The Home Depot was voted America''s most socially responsible company. Blank left The Home Depot that same year with a burning question: Could the values and culture that made that company great

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Oscar Munoz saved United Airlines. He wrote this book about the hard work, heart, and commitment of the people of the airline who wanted a leader to pull us together and fight for our shared future. Oscar healed deeply damaged morale on day one with a message of unity and hope, and I agree wholeheartedly with his recognition of my amazing colleagues. This is an incredibly inspiring story—and an instructional one for the kind of inclusive leadership we need to solve the biggest problems we face today.” — Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants–CWA, AFL-CIO “Oscar Munoz shows the heart of a true leader in Turnaround Time, sharing how he overcame incredible challenges to revive the fortunes of a legendary airline. It’s a story about building a company culture based on values such as trust, empathy, humility, and authenticity, which can transform a business and the world.” — Marc Benioff, chair and CEO of Salesforce “Oscar led United to new heights by starting from the inside out: investing first in frontline employees to empower them to better serve customers and earn their trust. His approach of listening, learning, and taking action is an inspirational lesson for leaders of our modern institutions who must earn stakeholder trust through bold action.” — Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman “Oscar is the epitome of compassion and lives a life of triumph over adversity. He’s traveled the world and inspired so many people as a dynamic, charismatic, and empathetic leader. His passion for sharing his heart transplant story and raising awareness about the signs of heart disease have encouraged people to understand their own risk factors. The lessons and wisdom Oscar imparts remind us of what matters most.” — Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association “In this compelling story of personal survival and corporate revival, Oscar Munoz poignantly reminds us that the most important leadership test remains as it’s ever been: uniting people behind a common mission. Oscar rallied the people of United with principles of leadership that are both timely and timeless.” — Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle Corporation “The stories offer an intimate look at what it’s like to run a large corporation, and Munoz’s praise of his former employees makes a strong case that workers are central to a company’s success. This solid memoir delivers the goods.” — Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisAn acclaimed business historian provides a fascinating glimpse into the minds, lives, and strategies of seven extraordinary CEOs, including George Eastman, Thomas Watson, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie, who successfully mastered cutting-edge technology and created lasting corporate empires. ReprintTrade ReviewOne of the top ten business books of 2001 -- Business Week "From Richard Tedlow's insightful group portrait of seven American entrepreneurs...a rough formula for titanhood can be deduced." -- Atlantic Monthly

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