The House of Rothschild: Money's Prophets 1798-1848

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This is probably the best book of Niall Ferguson who much prefers giving us his opinion to doing real research. The House of Rothschild is a fascinating study of a brilliant family that made a great contribution to history and the arts. Of course Ferguson demolishes many of the myths that have surrounded the Rothschilds since their ascent, much of which emerged from scurrilous anti-Semitic tracts (for instance, Nathan Rothschild didn't make his fortune buying bonds when he heard first the information about Waterloo, in fact, he had large contracts out to supply the army that peace, at least at this point, threatened to cancel). Still, Ferguson wonderfully explains how the family's Jewish identify helped them succeed and at the same time kept them out of the top realms of power. Still, their desire for a removal from the Christian world often lead to a stunning amount of inbreeding in the third and later generations of the family that one cannot help but be baffled at. This is a brilliant, witty and clever satire of the British aristocracy, about which it is both affectionate and deadly.' Sydney Morning Herald

this is heaven for political geeks. More than the sheer thrill of having a camera placed at the heart of the government machine - where journalists are seldom allowed to tread - the documentary's main strength is that it is actually rather hilarious...We feel like flies on a tremendously interesting wall.' Peter Wozniak, Politics.co.uk This is fascinating but very dense. Not for every reader. If you love financial history though, it is great. Rothschild teases out green shoots with skill and humour (she won the Wodehouse Everyman Bollinger prize for her novel 'The Improbability of Love'). ...a writer of high intelligence and she shakes old tropes into something more akin to John Lanchester's blistering social satire 'Capitalism.' Kate Atkinson, The Times They had advised prime ministers, played a pivotal role in the civil rights campaign that led to the election of Britain’s first Jewish MP, and written landmark works of feminist art criticism. At every turn, they defied easy categorisation. If Rózsika Rothschild (1870-1940) scandalised the world of women’s tennis by introducing the over-arm serve, Emma Rothschild (1844-1935) was such a traditionalist that she gave up swimming when she married. If Charlotte von Rothschild (1819-1884) engaged with the media by advising the editor of The Times, her great-great-granddaughter Rosie (1945- 2010) did so by joining radical collective Spare Rib, where she reviewed art shows that were being investigated by Scotland Yard’s vice squad. If Constance de Rothschild (1843-1931) sought the friendship of Queen Victoria, Emma preferred to host Albert Einstein, and the wayward Nica let the wheels of her Bentley do the talking, as she drag-raced Miles Davis through Manhattan.Snappy and sexy - Hannah Rothschild has written a racy rural satire on the decline of the English aristocracy which captures the spirit of our times. Witty and irreverent - but never without the human touch.' Lionel Barber, Editor Financial Times it was always a weakness of the conservative argument against higher taxation that in general private charitability at the turn of the century tended to fall short of the traditional 10 per cent" (p. 276) The Rothschild Prayerbook or Rothschild Hours (both titles are used for other books), [1] is an important Flemish illuminated manuscript book of hours, compiled c. 1500–1520 by a number of artists. [2] The family remained Jewish in faith and race. They may not have been the most devout, buy they did observe the rules and laws and did not “convert” like many others (e.g. Benjamin Disraeli’s family.) When one of Nathan’s daughters did convert to marry, she was shunned by almost everyone including her own mother. They were seen as exemplars of successful Jews who also cared about their “co-religionists”; speaking out for tolerance and donating to community needs and causes.

High Time is a manically and magical wonderful romp, fast and furious in pace, style and extravagance' - Geordie GreigNow, with all the depth, clarity and drama with which he traced their ascent, Ferguson - the first historian with access to the long-lost Rothschild family archives - concludes his myth-breaking portrait of once of the most fascinating and power families of all time. Nonetheless what is most remarkable is not that historian Ferguson sometimes revealed a very poor understanding of financial market theory but rather just how few such gaffes he committed outside of his area of core competency that of doing historical research. Held against its tremendous virtues, the flaws in this book are really of very little consequence. Ferguson charts the travails of the Rothschilds as they expand from humble merchants in Frankfurt to probably the richest and most influential bankers ever. He has an interesting analysis that supports his hypothesis that no one in this world has ever been richer compared to his fellow man than Nathan Rothschild. It was an amazing account of how merchants could set themselves up as bankers and establish banking houses across multiple countries, overcome the barriers just about all other Jews faced at the time (including restrictions on land ownership), and how family members could be "kept in line." The author is Niall Ferguson an unrepentant booster of monetary systems and capitalism. You may remember him from the PBS series, “The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World” or “Civilization: The West and the Rest” both of which are also books. (Also broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK.) He is a historian and currently is a Professor of History at Harvard University and holds other postings.

Ferguson also praises the Rothschilds for the intelligent and generous support that they gave to many artists, writers and poets. I believe that this aspect of the Rothschilds is generally known and so I make no further comments. The author of 15 books, Ferguson is writing a life of Henry Kissinger, the first volume of which--Kissinger, 1923-1968: The Idealist--was published in 2015 to critical acclaim. The World's Banker: The History of the House of Rothschild won the Wadsworth Prize for Business History. Other titles include Civilization: The West and the Rest, The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die and High Financier: The Lives and Time of Siegmund Warburg. I have discovered Hannah Rothschild late - her The Improbability of Love was published in 2015. It is the perfect lying-on-the-sofa-with-cake read, being a witty, knowledgeable, sprawling, ingenious insider satire set in the art world. It has art dealers, Russian billionaires, hedgies, sheiks and a-love story. Some of the story is narrated by a painting, but don't let that put you off, it's pure joy from start to finish. Her next novel, House of Trelawney, about the rise and fall of some Cornish poshos, is out in February and I loved that even more.' A satirical comedy of manners on the ways business and finance interact - and is a whole lot of fun too. Wonderful and fanciful...High Time is fast-paced and high energy, but also contains moment of real sentiment. Hannah proves her deftness for wit and style in this Mitfordesque satire. High art hustles and Cornish castles, High Time is perfect escapist reading with real heart."- City AM This family is a real rags to riches family. Starting from unthinkable conditions (and restrictions) in Frankfurt's Jugendgasse, to the pinnacle of finance in less than 2 generations. I look forward to the second part.Like a Rococo painting, this clever, funny, beguiling and wholly humane romance is a treat worthy of its subject.' The Independent Exuberant. revels in satirising English attitudes to class, cash and family scandal' - Mail on Sunday Highlight of my holiday reading was a proof of Hannah Rothschild's fabulous forthcoming House of Trelawney. It's even funnier, more moving and more ingenuously plotted than her brilliant Improbability of Love and that is saying something. Completely delicious.' The result is compelling reading, driven by the desire to know what happens next and along the way there are some hearty laughs at people's terrible behaviour.' Daphne Guinness, The Sydney Morning Herald

A major work of economic, social and political history, Niall Ferguson’s The House of Rothschild: The World’s Banker 1849-1999 is the second volume of the acclaimed, landmark history of the legendary Rothschild banking dynasty.

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Thelonius Monk and Nina Rothschild leaving the Five Spot in her Bentley, 1963 Ben Martin / Getty Images There he began a business career that made him a respectable, if not prosperous man. As the years went on, he trained his five sons in business and began to establish them in the cities that would house the five branches of the family bank: Frankfurt (Amschel), London (Nathan), Naples (Carl), Vienna (Solomon), and Paris (James). James, Salomon and Nathan all came under conflicting pressures from the governments in Paris, Vienna and London: but the final outcome was a united and carefully calculated policy of non-commitment. (p. 132) Hannah Rothschild has written a wonderful satirical novel about a rare French Painting.' Andrew Marr, Start the Week