This book describes the events and relationships that established Barings Bank as the world's first merchant bank and it's role in transforming the US into an international superpower. Appendixes examine the genealogy of the Baring, Bingham, and Willing families; the impact of banking pioneers...

This is the first serious history of merchant banking, based on the archives of the leading houses and the records of their activities throughout the world. It combines scholarly insight with readability, and offers a totally new assessment of the origins of one of the most dynamic sectors of...