Description
Book Synopsis''A brilliantly readable account, based on exceptional access, of the transformation of the old Quaker bank into a hard-charging capitalist adventurer ... both a thriller and a reminder that business is fascinating because all human life is there'' John Plender, Financial Times
Based on unparalleled access to those involved, and told with compelling pace and drama, The Bank that Lived a Little describes three decades of boardroom intrigue at one of Britain''s biggest financial institutions. In a tale of feuds, grandiose dreams and a struggle for supremacy between rival strategies and their adherents, Philip Augar gives a riveting account of Barclays'' journey from an old Quaker bank to a full-throttle capitalist machine. The disagreement between those ambitious for Barclays to join the top table of global banks, and those preferring a smaller domestic role more in keeping with the bank''s traditions, cost three chief executives their job
Trade Review
He tells the financial story of our age -- Alec Russell * Financial Times *
A brilliantly readable account, based on exceptional access to most of those involved, of the transformation of the old Quaker bank into a hard-charging capitalist adventurer. ... Philip Augar's book is both a thriller and a reminder that business is fascinating because all human life is there. -- John Plender * Financial Times *
A riveting and revealing account of how a bank of high moral character with Quaker origins ended up in the sewer thanks to ambition and greed. -- Iain Martin * The Times *
Once you start reading Philip Augar's well-researched book, you are captivated. ... What makes The Bank That Lived a Little a must-read is the way in which, in its pages, Barclays comes to embody all that has been, and possibly still is, wrong with the entire banking sector. -- Vicky Pryce * Literary Review *
