Catching lightning in a bottle : how Merrill Lynch revolutionized the financial world

"The first complete history of Merrill Lynch - traces ML's impact on the world of finance from the day Charlie Merrill opened his one-man shop on January 6, 1914, to the final shareholder meeting prior to its acquisition by Bank of America on December 5, 2008. Win Smith also weaves in his personal experiences and observations. As the son of a founding partner, the author has known every Merrill Lynch CEO from the first, Charlie Merrill, to the last, John Thain. While it details the drastic decline of the company between 2001 and 2008, it also explores the story of the company's "Mother Merrill" tradition - the vision and guiding principles shared by employees with each other and with their clients throughout the world."--Amazon.com