SOURCE: “Five Arrows Make History,” in Europe Business Review, Vol. 2, No. 9, October-December, 1999, p. 40.

In the following review, Shaw provides an overview of the Rothschild banking dynasty and offers a positive assessment of The World Banker.

Many European and Australian bankers have recently been adding a bulky volume to their carry-on luggage.

The 1,300-page, ＄75 book is about banking, but unlike a Treasury report or a High Court judgment, it is readable enough to help pass the time on a long flight.

The World Banker by Niall Ferguson (published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London) is a revealing history of the business and the family of The House of Rothschild, the legendary bank with the five arrows logo.

At its prime a century ago, the great European dynasty owned the world’s biggest bank and was the world’s richest family, richer comparatively than even Bill Gates today.

The Rothschilds remain rich...