Library of Mistakes

In our latest, behind-the-scenes look at the Library of Mistakes, Leila Johnston joins author and journalist Ray Perman on the streets of Edinburgh, as they explore the Library of Mistakes walking tour, Money Talks, Money Walks. Join them to discover lots of fascinating nuggets about the financial history of Scotland's capital city. Meanwhile, Fraser Allen catches up with David Clarke and Helen Williams to find out what is coming up at the library – and which books make useful companions to our Practical History of Financial Markets course.Any comments, feedback or ideas? Please do get in touch:fraser@libraryofmistakes.comleila@libraryofmistakes.com

Russell Napier invites Duncan Mavin back for a second appearance on the podcast – this time to discuss his recent book on Credit Suisse. Their fascinating discussion explores how decades of a rotten corporate culture dating back to WWII developed into the scandals and reputational disasters that eventually brought the Swiss bank down.

Fraser Allen and Leila Johnston take you behind the scenes at the Library of Mistakes once more. This month we hear from the brilliant behavioural finance expert Herman Brodie, discover the colourful back story of Didasko CEO David Clarke, and find out more about the library itself with Lauren Hotson and Helen Williams.If you have any queries about hiring the Library as a venue, simply email Lauren at facilities@libraryofmistakes.com or visit www.libraryofmistakes.com – where you can also find out about our Practical History of Financial Markets course.And to provide any feedback regarding the podcast, ask questions or make suggestions, please email fraser@libraryofmistakes.com or Leila@libraryofmistakes.com.

Leila Johnston and Fraser Allen are back to take you behind the scenes at the Library of Mistakes. And in this packed episode we...•Hear from theatre director and actor Liam Rees about his show The Land That Never Was. It's based on the adventures of 19th century Scottish conman Gregor MacGregor, who sold bonds on behalf of a South American country that was a figment of his imagination!•Explore what happened at the Weekend of Mistakes in Hay-on-Wye (including clips from speakers).•Chat to the team behind Leavers' Money Skills, helping Scottish school-leavers to cope with the life of finance ahead of them.•And our Librarian Helen Williams discusses our books on Russia, Putin and Trump!If you have any feedback, ideas or can name the song briefly alluded to at the end of this episode (and the band that originally sung it) – you could win a Library of Mistakes mug! – simply email fraser@libraryofmistakes.com or leila@libraryofmistakes.com

Russell Napier enjoys a fascinating chat with Mauricio Drelichman who (together with Hans Joachim-Voth) is the author of Lending to the Borrower from Hell: Debt, Taxes, and Default in the Age of Philip II. Together, they explore how this account of the freely-defaulting 16th century King of Spain changes our perceptions of financial history.

In the first of a new thread of monthly episodes, we take you behind the scenes at the Library of Mistakes. Join us as we turn the tables on our resident interrogator Professor Russell Napier by putting the questions to him. We also interview David Clarke of Didasko, Helen Bradley of Future Asset and our librarian Helen Williams. And fear not, Russell's regular interviews with financial historians will also continue here as normal.Shelf Life is presented by Leila Johnston & Fraser Allen – please do contact us with any feedback, ideas or questions at fraser@libraryofmistakes.com or leila@libraryofmistakes.com.

Russell Napier quizzes Felix Martin about his book, Money – The Unauthorised Biography. A fascinating listen for anyone interested in the true nature of money, illuminated through entertaining examples such as the Irish Bank Strike of 1970, the Argentinian Crédito and the Bristol Pound.

Lionel Barber, the former editor of the Financial Times, discusses his fascinating biography of Masayoshi Son, one of the world's least-known but most consequential investors. Regarding himself as an 'empire builder' rather than a CEO, Son was briefly the world's richest man and has ruffled many feathers on his rise from a Korean slum in Japan to the modern-day temples of power. Russell Napier asks the questions.•The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course

Money & Promises (Seven Deals That Changed World) is Paolo Zannoni's first book and one of Russell Napier's favourite books of the year. For as well as being President of the luxury Italian fashion group Prada, Paolo is a highly experienced banker who has combined his professional expertise with a passion for exploring ledger archives to create a ground-breaking work of financial history.•The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course

"Despite being a fully paid-up member of the economist tribe for many years, I’ve concluded that most economists don’t really understand money," says David McWilliams, co-founder of Kilkenomics, (the world's first economics and comedy festival). David's new book, Money: A Story of Humanity, explains why he takes this entertainingly provocative position – and backs it up with powerful arguments. The book has received many plaudits. Professor Brian Cox describes it as: "A breathtaking, expansive and imaginative ride through the history and future of money from an author who truly understands it." And this free-ranging discussion with Russell Napier – embracing Karl Marx, Van Morrison and James Joyce – is just as fascinating.•To discover more about Kilkenomics, go to: https://www.kilkenomics.com•The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course

In this lively episode, Anat Admati (Professor of Finance and Economics at Stanford) explains what she believes to be wrong about banking, and how it should be changed. Anat is co-author (with Martin Hellwig) of The Bankers' New Clothes, originally published in 2013, then expanded and re-published this year to encompass the era of increased regulation. Interviewer Russell Napier challenges Anat on some of her opinions, and Anat challenges Russell back, making for a fascinating listen.•The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course

Technology is transforming our societies, promising a far deeper disruption than the industrial revolutions. As a result, humanity is at a major turning point, and how we respond to the merger of technology and financialisation will decide our future. Are we heading for "enlightened communism" or "despotic feudalism"? Russell Napier quizzes Viktor Shvets on his throught-provoking book The Twilight Before The Storm.•The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course

Join Russell Napier for a fascinating discussion with Harold James, author of Seven Crashes: The Economic Crises That Shaped Globalisation. And unlike many of our episodes, brace yourself for a relatively optimistic conclusion!•The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course

Russell Napier revisits a book that slipped out during the pandemic crisis but does, he believe, deserve considerable attention. Listen to him quizzing Tim Lee and Kevin Coldiron, two of the authors of The Rise of Carry: The Dangerous Consequences of Volatility Suppression and the New Financial Order of Decaying Growth and Recurring Crisis.•The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course

For 40 years, Kiril Sokoloff, the founder of 13D Research & Strategy, has been picking some of the biggest turning points in financial markets. And, in 2001, he launched 'What I Learned This Week' – a must-read for anyone in the investment community. In this interview with Russell Napier, Kiril shares some of the insights he has gleaned across a long and successful career.•The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course

Russell Napier and Mark J Higgins explore some of the lessons to be learned from Mark's latest book, Investing in US Financial History: Understanding the Past to Forecast the Future. The book opens with Alexander Hamilton’s financial programmes of 1790 and ends with the Federal Reserve’s battle with inflation in 2023 – and Russell welcomes the valuable way in which it fills a void in our understanding of American financial history.•The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course

In an appetising taster of our Weekend of Mistakes at Hay Castle on 1-3 March 2024, Russell Napier is joined by the authors of Boom And Bust, William Quinn & John D. Turner, to discuss their fascinating global history of financial bubbles.William will also be joining Russell at Hay Castle for a session called The Madness Of Crowds.If you're accessing this podcast before 1 March 2024, there may still be tickets left for the Weekend of Mistakes. More info at https://www.haycastletrust.org/p-3525-weekend-of-mistakes-at-hay-castle.aspx•The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course

Welcome to this special episode – a lecture by Professor Deirdre McCloskey recorded at the University of Edinburgh. With great humour and wisdom, Professor McCloskey discusses Humanomics, her attempt to eradicate (or at least reduce) the role of mathematics in economics. She also explores the Market Mind Hypothesis, a new approach to the understanding of the market, the mind and the rational economic man being developed here in Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.[The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course]

Financial historian and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng discusses War And Gold, his 500-year review of 'empires, adventures and debt'. In conversation with Russell Napier, he also looks back on the fallout from the 'fiscal statement' of September 2022 and the power of the bond markets.(The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course)

Welcome to a special, extended episode recorded live at the Library of Mistakes on 15 November 2023. Cognitive economist and investment 'pracademic' Patrick Schotanus discusses his important new book The Market Mind Hypothesis, with an introduction from Russell Napier. Drawing on the thinking of Adam Smith, The Market Mind Hypothesis touches on key issues in economics, investing, and cognitive science, leading to insights that can improve markets, make investing more sustainable, increase the effectiveness of public policy and benefit society.The two quotes that Patrick refers to in his talk are as follows:"Now the issue, as is plain, relates to the treatment of 'consciousness' in human beings. The essence is [economics'] iniststence that we ignore... the existence of conscousness... In oppositioon to this view, I propose... that we cannot treat human beings as... mechanisms, and that we do not want to do so even if it were possible."Frank Knight 1925The global behavor of the market... is reminiscent of... the emergence of consciousness."Didier Sornette 2003[The Library of Mistakes runs an outstanding course called the Practical History of Financial Markets. To find out more, go to: www.libraryofmistakes.com/course]