Financial Times Guide to Making the Right Investment Decisions: How to Analyse Companies and Value Shares (The FT Guides)
A great layman's guide to how companies are analysed and valued. We know author, Michael Cahill well as he helped us to train our trainers.
 

All You Need to Know About the City 2011: Who Does What and Why in London's Financial Markets (All You Need to Know Guides)
This book, published in 2009, is a great introduction to the financial world. We love the "speed read summaries". It can be read as a whole or used as a quick reference book.
 

All You Need to Know About the City Part 2
A follow on from the book to the left, published in 2010, this goes into more depth. We love the "day trips" to New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong etc.

The Money Machine: How the City Works
FT journalist, Philip Coggan's book is a good introduction to the financial markets.

Finance Just in Time: Understanding the Key to Business and Investment Before It's Too Late
An old book now, written by Hugo Dixon, founder of Breakingviews, still the best layman's guide to economics and corporate finance.
 

The Bank Analyst's Handbook: Money, Risk and Conjuring Tricks
A useful book if you need to get into the complexity of bank accounts and valuation.

Barbarians At The Gate: The Fall Of Rjr Nabisco
Even though it is a bit dated now, Barbarians at the Gate recounts the US leveraged buyout (LBO) of RJR Nabisco and the frenzy that overtook Wall Street in the 1980s. It is an easy and enjoyable way to learn about acquisitions, hostile takeovers, liquidity, assets, etc.

  The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
This book tells the story of the accounting scams that were uncovered in one of the largest corporate scandals in US history which lead to criminal trials for several of the company's top executives. It is a well told and shocking story of greed and corruption of not only the senior Execs but also the bankers, traders, and even the auditors who turned a blind eye to the company's suspicious numbers.

The Storm: The World Economic Crisis and What it Means
A super short book that examines the financial mess of the UK, explaining how he predicted the UK banking crisis before it happened. It is very clear and well written without saying ‘I told you so’!

Tescopoly: How One Shop Came Out on Top and Why It Matters
This book explains how Tesco has been so successful at gaining their dominant position in the UK retail sector. In some ways, it is a bit of a one-sided book in its damnation of Tesco, its effect on communities and even our economy but still a very interesting and powerful read.
 

Jungle Capitalists: A Story of Globalisation, Greed and Revolution
The shocking story of how, in the last century, the first globalised company and banana importer United Fruit managed to gain a huge amount of influence on a global scale setting the precedence of institutional greed and global capitalism today. A bit heavier going than Tescopoly.
 

Mrs Moneypenny's Careers Advice for Ambitious Women
Great careers advice from Mrs Moneypenny (alias Heather McGregor).