The Rise and Fall...and Rise Again

After over 25 years in the jewellery trade, Gerald Ratner was one of the most well-known and successful retailers of his generation. Being asked to give the keynote address at the Institute of Director's annual conference at The Royal Albert Hall should have been the crowning glory of two decades of empire building.

But his speech was seized upon the media after he joked about the quality of his products, including a remark that a Ratner's sherry decanter was so cheap because it was "crap". No one could have predicted the far-reaching impact these jokes would have.

Set against the high-rolling excesses of business in '80s Britain, The Rise and Fall...and Rise Again is a barnstorming tale of personal redemption through sheer grit, as told by one of Britain's sharpest and most successful business men: Gerald Ratner.

"His Jewellery might have been 'crap' but his book isn't "
—The Independent

"...[a] rollicking read."
—Financial Times

"...contains lessons for us all"
—Management Today

"Like Alan Sugar and Laurie Barratt, Ratner is one of that band of businessmen who made their names by providing ordinary people with items they thought only the rich could afford."
—Richard Northedge, City A.M.