Finally completed House of Rothschild - Money's Prophets (1798 - 1848) by Niall Ferguson. This is another of a long line of great books by Ferguson (I'll pretty much read anything he writes -- I find all his books pushing me to think in new ways).
Like most Ferguson books, House of Rothschild is not a book that can be read quickly. and it is big and fat ... so it is hard to take with you on a trip (this is the book that makes me want to have a kindle). But i highly recommend it as it details the raise of the Rothschilds -- the most important banking house in the 1800s.
