The Financial Times today unveiled the results of an online poll of readers to find the best business book of all-time. The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith’s influential economic treatise, published in 1776, was voted the winner by a wide margin, ahead of Barbarians at the Gate, the 1990 account by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar of the leveraged buy-out of RJR Nabisco.

Andrew Hill, Associate Editor of the FT, said: ”One of the measures of greatness in the broad genre of books on business, economics and finance is that it should stand the test of time. The Wealth of Nations, published more than 200 years ago but still regularly cited, clearly passes that test and is a worthy winner.”

The top five business books of all-time were selected from a list suggested by global business leaders, academics and policymakers, including Henry Tang, the Hong Kong government’s Chief Secretary for Administration, who said The Wealth of Nations had helped ”lay down the foundation of free market economics”.

Other business leaders, academics and experts who participated in the poll include:

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Founder, Easyjet

Fred Kindle, President and Chief Executive Officer, ABB

Andrew Liveris, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Dow Chemical

Lakshmi Mittal, President and Chief Executive Officer, ArcelorMittal

Scott Moeller, Director of Executive Education, Cass Business School, UK

Alasdair Morrison, former Chairman, Morgan Stanley Asia, and former Group Managing Director, Jardine Matheson

Nandan Nilekani, Co-Chairman, Infosys

Full results of the poll, the shortlist of candidates and an online debate about the best book can be found at www.ft.com/bookaward.

For further information, please contact:

Lizzie Allen, Financial Times, 020 7873 4463 or lizzie.allen@ft.com

Katrina Power/Steven Williams, Midas PR, +44 (0)207 584 7474 or +44 (0)79639 62538 or katrina.power@midaspr.co.uk

The closing date for entries for The Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award 2007, invited from publishers or bona fide imprints based in any country, was June 30, 2007. Details of the Terms and Conditions are available from www.ft.com/bookaward. This annual Award aims to identify the book that provides the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues, including management, finance and economics. The winner will be announced at a gala event in London on October 25th 2007.

About the Financial Times:

The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business newspapers, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Providing extensive news, comment and analysis, the newspaper is printed at 24 print sites across the globe, has a daily circulation of 441,219 (ABC figures, September 2007) and a readership of more than 1.3 million people worldwide. FT.com is one of the world’s leading business information websites, and the internet partner of the FT newspaper. FT.com is the definitive home for business intelligence on the web, providing an essential source of news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community. FT.com attracts 5.35 million unique monthly generating 43 million page views users (ABC electronic figures, March 2007). FT.com has 101,000 subscribers.