The Trick

Some people can make money. Other people can’t. It’s a thought that makes William Leith wake up in a cold sweat.

He doesn’t know why it makes him feel anxious. After all, money isn’t real. We created it. Humans did. It’s our masterpiece.

But the desire for it is killing us.

It is this dilemma that sets William Leith off on an adventure into the bizarre, morally dubious, yet highly desirable world of the mega-rich.

He spends a day with the real-life Wolf of Wall Street who, not content with his hundreds of millions, devised a fraud so he could make hundreds of millions more. He visits a Baroque mansion where a Russian half-billionaire lives alone with his butler. He tours the estate of Felix Dennis, the maverick tycoon who commissioned an avenue of statues to tell the story of his life. He flies to private islands on private jets, meets private men in private clubs, experiencing the dizzy highs of a life without limits – but all it does is give him crippling anxiety.

Throughout it all he asks himself: what makes these people wealthy? And how come I’m not?

“The Trick takes all of Leith's writing habits - his mazy streams of consciousness (few writers are quite so enamoured of, or good at, watching themselves think) and his love of axiom - and, if anything, ups the ante... Hugely enjoyable”

Spectacular ... The Trick takes us on a fevered thrill ride through the heads of the richest people in the world, plus some of the most accomplished risk-takers, to answer the eternal question, why does money stick to thee, and not to me? -- Aaron Brown, author of 'The Poker Face of Wall Street'
Most books about the uber-wealthy portray them either as superheroes to be unquestioningly admired or as obsessive psychopathic idiots. The joy of this book is how beautifully it walks the narrow line between the two -- Rory Sutherland, author of Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense
A superb book ... Leith has always been one of our best non-fiction writers and this is his crowning achievement -- Praise for 'The Hungry Years', Jon Ronson
As a memoir and as comedy, it succeeds beautifully ... As a confessional, it is pretty much a masterclass – frank, tough-minded, funny, generous -- praise for 'The Hungry Years' New Statesman
Resembles an expertly-paced stand-up routine ... Positively Izzard-esque -- Praise for 'Bits of Me Are Falling Apart' Time Out

William Leith has worked as a columnist and feature writer at the Independent on Sunday, the Mail on Sunday and the Observer. His writing spans a wide range of subjects, from food to celebrity, cosmetic surgery, fashion and film. He has written about kings in Africa, political tension in Palestine, nightlife in Bangkok, Hollywood film directors, diet gurus and the death of James Dean. He is the author of two previous books, The Hungry Years and Bits of Me Are Falling Apart.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.