Books for bankers: Presidents Day edition

The Presidents Day holiday is quickly approaching, but have you given any thought as to how you’re going to spend the day of honoring the late President George Washington?

Whether you’re riding out Winter Storm Pax like many people are, or simply enjoying the time out of the office, now is as good a time as any to crack open some of this winter’s best sellers for bankers.

Here’s the list:

“The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance” by Ron Chernow

“Winner of the National Book Award and now considered a classic, The House of Morgan is the most ambitious history ever written about an American banking dynasty. Acclaimed by the Wall Street Journal as “brilliantly researched and written,” the book tells the rich, panoramic story of four generations of Morgans and the powerful, secretive firms they spawned. It is the definitive account of the rise of the modern financial world. A gripping history of banking and the booms and busts that shaped the world on both sides of the Atlantic, The House of Morgan traces the trajectory of the J. P. Morgan empire from its obscure beginnings in Victorian London to the crash of 1987,” via Amazon.com.

“The Bankers’ New Clothes: What’s Wrong with Banking and What to Do About It” by Anat Admati

“The past few years have shown that risks in banking can impose significant costs on the economy. Many claim, however, that a safer banking system would require sacrificing lending and economic growth. The Bankers’ New Clothes examines this claim and the narratives used by bankers, politicians and regulators to rationalize the lack of reform, exposing them as invalid. Anat Admati and Martin Hellwig argue that we can have a safer and healthier banking system without sacrificing any of its benefits, and at essentially no cost to society,” via Amazon.com.

“Tower of Basel: The Shadowy History of the Secret Bank that Runs the World” by Adam LeBor

“Tower of Basel is the first investigative history of the world’s most secretive global financial institution. Based on extensive archival research in Switzerland, Britain, and the United States, and in-depth interviews with key decision-makers—including Paul Volcker, the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Sir Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, and former senior Bank for International Settlements managers and officials—Tower of Basel tells the inside story of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS): the central bankers’ own bank,” via Amazon.com.

 “Young Money: Inside the Hidden World of Wall Street’s Post-Crash Recruits” by Kevin Roose (coming soon)

Set to release on February 18th, this is “the inside story of this well-guarded world. Kevin Roose, New York magazine business writer and author of the critically acclaimed The Unlikely Disciple, spent more than three years shadowing eight entry-level workers at Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and other leading investment firms. Roose chronicled their triumphs and disappointments, their million-dollar trades and runaway Excel spreadsheets, and got an unprecedented (and unauthorized) glimpse of the financial world’s initiation process,” via Amazon.com.

In addition to these books, you can also get caught up on the latest banking best practices through Sageworks’ whitepaper library.