The Global Merchants

A tale reminiscent of Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks ... Not only is this a powerful human story but it also carries contemporary resonance in a time when great fortunes are again being made -- Stefan Wagstyl * Financial Times * The engrossing story of the meteoric rise and calamitous fall of the Sassoons, set against the backdrop of peak British imperialism ... what a scintillating show it was while it lasted, as this vivid and richly researched book reveals -- Justin Marozzi * The Sunday Times * A very readable, sensitive and original account of a remarkable family, deftly weaving together the history of the business, the history of the family and their place in the wider history of Britain, India and China -- David Abulafia * Spectator * Sassoon's assiduous mining of the archives has produced a family history writ large ... the story of the Sassoons' rise from Ottoman Baghdadis to incalculably wealthy figures of the British Establishment is fascinating -- Anne de Courcy * Daily Telegraph * Logan Roy might do well to read The Global Merchants for tips ... a tale of commercial derring-do and dissection of the paperwork, the exigencies of calm, but rapid, decision-making that could could lead to boom or bust -- Paul French * South Morning China Post * Methodical, deeply researched and presented with considered care ... Sassoon's book isn't just a marvellous yarn, it's an Ottoman 'Our Crowd' that gives his family its due' -- Adam Rathe * The New York Times * A marvellous epitaph to a monumental family, makers of several worlds and keepers of none -- Norman Lebrecht * Wall Street Journal *