The Match King
Ivar Kreuger and the Financial Scandal of the Century
Published on 19. February 2009
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-86197-966-7 (ISBN)
Description
The story opens with the purchase of a 9mm Browning at a small Paris gun shop by a man named Ivar Kreuger. The next morning, the world's leading bankers nervously waited to ask Ivar about some forged Italian bonds. Hours later, his dead body was discovered and the largest financial empire of the era collapsed.
This book traces Ivar's meteoric rise from the obscurity of provincial Sweden, to become a construction mogul and then a global business oligarch. Ivar acquired match monopolies throughout the world and usurped J. P. Morgan to become the leading lender to foreign governments. His financial innovations resonate today. A self made media figure, he discovered and promoted Greta Garbo but also advised politicians, including President Hoover.
Was he a financial genius or merely a schemer? Did he really stage his own suicide? This book brings back to life one of the greatest swindlers of all times.
This book traces Ivar's meteoric rise from the obscurity of provincial Sweden, to become a construction mogul and then a global business oligarch. Ivar acquired match monopolies throughout the world and usurped J. P. Morgan to become the leading lender to foreign governments. His financial innovations resonate today. A self made media figure, he discovered and promoted Greta Garbo but also advised politicians, including President Hoover.
Was he a financial genius or merely a schemer? Did he really stage his own suicide? This book brings back to life one of the greatest swindlers of all times.
Reviews / Votes
"This book opened my eyes to the world of a glamorous financial wizard with the ability to confuse experts in finance and accounting. It holds many parallels in present times. Our Minister for Finance could do worse than make this compulsory reading for anybody involved in the regulation of our financial sector in the future." -- Feargal Quinn, member of Seanad Eireann and author of Crowning the Customer * Irish Times * 'Frank Partnoy commends Kreuger for his innovations in finance and he makes the world of international capitalism not just easy to understand but fascinating. The shadowy figure of Kreuger becomes a little less indistinct through Partnoy's gripping account of his life, gambles and downfall.' -- Kevin McCardle * Metro * 'Captivating' -- Christopher Silvester * Spectator Business * Partnoy's persuasive analysis and entertaining narrative is very pertinent to the present culture of high finance and low morality -- Iain Finlayson * The Times * 'An enthralling cautionary tale of the recurring excesses of global finance...The author displays a vivid touch in describing the Swedish parvenu's successful efforts to infiltrate the upper echelons of US finance.' -- Francesco Guerrera * Financial Times * "[The Match King] provides a fascinating insight into how high society falls prey to such colourful characters. Kreuger's story is uncannily relevant today." * The Economist * Partnoy vividly recreates the turbulent Wall Street of the 1920s to tell the story of the Swedish magnate whose death precipitated the "Kreuger crash" of 1932. A powerful reminder that today's scandals had vast and destructive predecessors * Financial Times - Holiday Reading * Frank Partnoy tells the story of Krueger's rise and fall with great pace...Anyone seeking insights into the recent cases of Bernard Madoff or Allen Stanford will find echoes in Frank Partnoy's fascinating account of the "Match King" -- Cristopher Godden * Times Literary Supplement *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
576 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-86197-966-7 (9781861979667)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Book
03/2010
Profile Books Ltd
€32.37
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Person
Frank Partnoy is the author of two bestselling books: F.I.A.S.C.O. (9781861970770), which was a finalist for the FT business book award, and Infectious Greed (9781861974730), which the Sunday Times recently recommended as a financial classic - both published by Profile. He has worked as an investment banker and a corporate lawyer, and has given expert financial evidence before both the United States Senate and House of Representatives. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and currently teaches at the University of San Diego.