Gerald Ratner

In 1991 Gerald Ratner was booked to make what should have been an everyday<br /> speech at the Institute of Directors. Should have been. When the words "total<br /> crap" come out of his mouth in connection with a decanter and glasses set sold by<br /> his company, H. Samuel, it all turned out slightly different. The Rise and Fall...And<br /> Rise Again tells the full story, in Gerald Ratner's own words, of what lead him to<br /> that point at the IoD, the horror of what happened in the immediate aftermath,<br /> the fallout and the comeback. This is the fi rst time Gerald Ratner has given his side<br /> of the story. And what a story it is. You'll fi nd out:<br /> * How he wiped £500m off the value of his own company virtually overnight<br /> * All the details about the initial gaffe and how he compounded it by remarking<br /> that some of the earrings were "cheaper than an M&S prawn sandwich but<br /> probably wouldn't last as long"<br /> * How "doing a Ratner" has entered into the vocabulary of British business<br /> * The wilderness years sitting glued to the sofa in front of Countdown<br /> * How he has bounced back, rediscovering his entrepreneurial spark by building<br /> up a health club business and, more recently, the immensely successful online<br /> jewellery retailer Geraldonline.com<br /> * The story's not over yet...