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Legacy: One Family, a Cup of Tea and the Company that Took On the World
A panoramic new history of modern Britain, as told through the story of one extraordinary family, and one groundbreaking company.
In the early 1800s Lehmann Gluckstein and his family escaped the pogroms of Eastern Europe and made their way to Whitechapel in the East End of London. There, starting with nothing, they worked tirelessly to pull themselves out of poverty, creating a small tobacco factory that quickly grew to become the largest catering company in the world: J. Lyons.
For over a century, Lyons was everywhere. Its restaurants and corner houses were on every high street, its coffee and tea in every cup, its products in every home. By bringing the world to the British people, the company transformed the way we eat, drink and are entertained – democratising luxury and globalising our tastes. But it was a victory that was not easily won – a story of the virtue of hard work, perseverance and an indomitable spirit in the face of repeated obstacles: poverty, hatred and injustice. It is a tale that is rarely told, of an immigrant family’s journey from rags to riches: the story of the British Dream.
Legacy charts the rise and fall of one of the most influential dynasties in British history through the lives of five astonishing generations, bound together by an unbreakable code. This is a sweeping yet intimate work of history, filled with stories of sacrifice and selflessness, betrayal and personal tragedy, Empire and its cost, and success on an unimaginable scale. It is also an illuminating new exploration of Britain and its place in the world, from the bestselling author of Hanns and Rudolf and The House by the Lake.
574 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
About the author
Thomas Harding
45 books211 followersThomas Harding is a bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He has written for the Sunday Times, the Washington Post and the Guardian, among other publications.
He is the author of HANNS AND RUDOLF which won the JQ-Wingate Prize for Non-Fiction; THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE, which was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award; and BLOOD ON THE PAGE which won the Crime Writers’ Association “Golden Dagger Award for Non-Fiction”. For all his books, reviews and updates, go to thomasharding.com and follow him on X/ twitter @thomasharding
He is the author of HANNS AND RUDOLF which won the JQ-Wingate Prize for Non-Fiction; THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE, which was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award; and BLOOD ON THE PAGE which won the Crime Writers’ Association “Golden Dagger Award for Non-Fiction”. For all his books, reviews and updates, go to thomasharding.com and follow him on X/ twitter @thomasharding
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 31, 2019
This was a fun book to read. It is a company biography of sorts. It is a family history. It is a British family history that spans the 19th and 20th century. It is a Jewish immigrant family/company history. More than all of this, it is an interesting story, written by a skilled writer who loves finding out about his family but does not lay it on too thick in telling the story.
So what is the story? The is the story of the Salmon and Gluckstein family dynasty and their businesses, most notably Joseph Lyons and their Tea Shops. The firm started with tobacco, then moved to catering big events, then expanded into tea shops and restaurants, hotels, and various food products. One gets the sense of historical antecedents to Starbucks. After WW2, they pioneered computers, fast food hamburgers (Wimpy), and lots of other consumer goods products. The company’s history provides a case study of British commercial life from the peak of the British Empire through the two World Wars and the eventual dissolution of the empire in the 1950s and 1960s. ...and then the firm jumped into the conglomerate craze of the 1960s, took on lots of debt, and met the oil crunch and business slowdowns of the 1970s. It is quite a company history and Mr. Harding does a fine job of recounting it, along with the personal histories of some of the key family members across the generations. He knows about telling good stories and he know about how businesses work. There are lots of side plots along the way, many of which are tied to current social issues, including anti immigrant feelings, antisemitism, corporate governance, generational conflicts, changing views of the role of women and identity politics more generally.
Most books of this sort are undistinguished. This is a nice exception and well worth reading. My only regret is that I was too young to have gone to and appreciated the tea shops,.
So what is the story? The is the story of the Salmon and Gluckstein family dynasty and their businesses, most notably Joseph Lyons and their Tea Shops. The firm started with tobacco, then moved to catering big events, then expanded into tea shops and restaurants, hotels, and various food products. One gets the sense of historical antecedents to Starbucks. After WW2, they pioneered computers, fast food hamburgers (Wimpy), and lots of other consumer goods products. The company’s history provides a case study of British commercial life from the peak of the British Empire through the two World Wars and the eventual dissolution of the empire in the 1950s and 1960s. ...and then the firm jumped into the conglomerate craze of the 1960s, took on lots of debt, and met the oil crunch and business slowdowns of the 1970s. It is quite a company history and Mr. Harding does a fine job of recounting it, along with the personal histories of some of the key family members across the generations. He knows about telling good stories and he know about how businesses work. There are lots of side plots along the way, many of which are tied to current social issues, including anti immigrant feelings, antisemitism, corporate governance, generational conflicts, changing views of the role of women and identity politics more generally.
Most books of this sort are undistinguished. This is a nice exception and well worth reading. My only regret is that I was too young to have gone to and appreciated the tea shops,.
February 12, 2024
Fascinating family history highlighting world events.
September 25, 2019
I was keen to read this because I am interested in the subject and also had enjoyed Harding's "The House by the Lake" but you do need to be seriously interested in the family behind J Lyons to plough through almost 500 pages of their story.
The occasional infelicity of style ("Above him burned an enormous rose-shaped stained-glass window"), inaccuracy ("..Bletchley Park, a secretive government location on the south coast of England") and generally poor editing might be ignored in a sufficiently gripping narrative but the characters don't really come to life in these pages, which is a pity as there were clearly some fascinating personalities among the founders of the company.
The need to ground a story like this in its broader historical, economic and social context is obvious and quite a challenge to achieve effectively but in this case it's rather clunky and only really works well in the wartime periods when the effects on the company's activities are brought into sharp relief.
I wanted to know more about the clearly very successful management practices that enabled to company to grow so rapidly in scale from its early beginnings but although it is obvious that the founders were very entrepreneurial there is little detail here. I also wanted to know how the remarkable family fund was managed in practice over so many years but that is presumably shrouded in secrecy.
This is certainly a labour of love by the author - he notes rather touchingly that the considerable achievements of his grandfather have not been properly recorded in other books about the company - and the commemoration described in the epilogue is a fitting end to the story but it seems that there is still scope for a more complete company history to be written, which could prove very useful for those studying the development of management practice.
The occasional infelicity of style ("Above him burned an enormous rose-shaped stained-glass window"), inaccuracy ("..Bletchley Park, a secretive government location on the south coast of England") and generally poor editing might be ignored in a sufficiently gripping narrative but the characters don't really come to life in these pages, which is a pity as there were clearly some fascinating personalities among the founders of the company.
The need to ground a story like this in its broader historical, economic and social context is obvious and quite a challenge to achieve effectively but in this case it's rather clunky and only really works well in the wartime periods when the effects on the company's activities are brought into sharp relief.
I wanted to know more about the clearly very successful management practices that enabled to company to grow so rapidly in scale from its early beginnings but although it is obvious that the founders were very entrepreneurial there is little detail here. I also wanted to know how the remarkable family fund was managed in practice over so many years but that is presumably shrouded in secrecy.
This is certainly a labour of love by the author - he notes rather touchingly that the considerable achievements of his grandfather have not been properly recorded in other books about the company - and the commemoration described in the epilogue is a fitting end to the story but it seems that there is still scope for a more complete company history to be written, which could prove very useful for those studying the development of management practice.
June 3, 2022
Anyone who reads British novels, knows the name of Lyons and the famous Lyons Tea and Corner
Houses that were once ubiquitous in Great Britain. Now, however, the name has largely disappeared.
What Happened? That’s what this book is all about.
The story starts in the early 800’s with Lehmann Gluckstein and his family escaping the pogroms
Eastern Europe and emigrating to the East End of London. There by dint of hard-work, the family
Starts pulling themselves out of poverty by selling tobacco and then branching out into catering and
Restaurants.
For over a century J. Lyons was everywhere and their products were in every home. But times and
Tastes change and a new generation’s poor decisions brought the company to ruin. This is a fascinating
Story, not only of a family business, but also of England from the Victorian era up until today.
Houses that were once ubiquitous in Great Britain. Now, however, the name has largely disappeared.
What Happened? That’s what this book is all about.
The story starts in the early 800’s with Lehmann Gluckstein and his family escaping the pogroms
Eastern Europe and emigrating to the East End of London. There by dint of hard-work, the family
Starts pulling themselves out of poverty by selling tobacco and then branching out into catering and
Restaurants.
For over a century J. Lyons was everywhere and their products were in every home. But times and
Tastes change and a new generation’s poor decisions brought the company to ruin. This is a fascinating
Story, not only of a family business, but also of England from the Victorian era up until today.
August 20, 2019
S P E C T A C U L A R, an absolutely MUST read ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
February 1, 2020
For me this wasn't Harding's best book but an interesting read none the less telling of the rise and fall of the Salmon and Gluckstein families who founded the Lyons company.
October 24, 2019
British author Thomas Harding comes from distinctive people on both sides of his family tree. He's written about his father's family, the Alexanders and Hardings, in two books, "Hanns and Rudolf", and "A House on the Lake". Both were about the German Alexander family, who made their lives over in England when they were lucky to settle there right before WW2. With his new book, "Legacy: One Family, a Cup of Tea and the Company that Took On the World", he takes on his mother's family and their successful family enterprise, J Lyons.
Thomas Harding is descended from the Salmon and Gluckstein families, who lived and traveled around Germany, Holland, and Belgium, looking for a permanent home and success. They began a tobacco firm and eventually moved to London in the 1850's. Settling in the poorest Jewish section in the capital, they began a slow upward movement. Eventually, through hard work and smart decisions, they began a family empire, consisting of tobacco shops, catering, ownership of hotels and restaurants, Lyons' Corner Tea Shops, among many other businesses. As the business empire grew, the family grew larger, richer, and more powerful.
But early on, the men in the family decided to stick together in an economic way by establishing a Family Fund. The Fund lasted for nearly 100 years, until the company's demise in the 1980's. The rules of The Fund were worked out and changed a bit over the years as new subsidiaries were added to the business and as the family itself grew. But the Salmons and Glucksteins didn't just work for J Lyons; some joined the professions and became solicitors and judges and politicians. Several men over the years were knighted; honored for their work, particularly in wartime. One, Hannah Gluckstein, became a gender-bending artist, who painted portraits and went by the name of "Gluck". Having a famous lesbian daughter seemed to be only slightly disconcerting to her family. Her art looks to me similar to portraits done by Lucien Freud, but "Gluck" was thirty years or so his senior.
But as the years went by, J Lyons and Company was buffeted by the economic woes of the 1930's and, more seriously, in the 1970's and '80's. The members of the Fund made decisions about the future of the company, but as often happens, fate didn't always agree. The company was sold to a competitor in the early 1990's.
The other important component in Harding's book is the Salmon and Gluckstein's Judaism and how they fought to fit into the larger, Christian society of England in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Thomas Harding is a compelling writer as he has proven in his previous works of non-fiction. He takes various members of the Salmon and Gluckstein families and brings them to life in his book. A few family secrets are breached but he's tactful in writing about his grandparents' marriage. His grandfather, Sam Salmon, married at the age of 38 a young woman who was 18 years his junior. She was less willing to settle down than he was and Harding implies she was not faithful to her husband. Well, those things happen, in the best of families.
I didn't read "Legacy" because it doesn't come in ebook form. Instead, I listened to it on two long drives every week. The only problem with not reading it was the lack of pictures and family tree that I suppose are in the published versions. I tried to compensate by looking the family up on Wikipedia. And I found several websites devoted to the J Lyons and Salmon and Gluckstein families.
Thomas Harding is descended from the Salmon and Gluckstein families, who lived and traveled around Germany, Holland, and Belgium, looking for a permanent home and success. They began a tobacco firm and eventually moved to London in the 1850's. Settling in the poorest Jewish section in the capital, they began a slow upward movement. Eventually, through hard work and smart decisions, they began a family empire, consisting of tobacco shops, catering, ownership of hotels and restaurants, Lyons' Corner Tea Shops, among many other businesses. As the business empire grew, the family grew larger, richer, and more powerful.
But early on, the men in the family decided to stick together in an economic way by establishing a Family Fund. The Fund lasted for nearly 100 years, until the company's demise in the 1980's. The rules of The Fund were worked out and changed a bit over the years as new subsidiaries were added to the business and as the family itself grew. But the Salmons and Glucksteins didn't just work for J Lyons; some joined the professions and became solicitors and judges and politicians. Several men over the years were knighted; honored for their work, particularly in wartime. One, Hannah Gluckstein, became a gender-bending artist, who painted portraits and went by the name of "Gluck". Having a famous lesbian daughter seemed to be only slightly disconcerting to her family. Her art looks to me similar to portraits done by Lucien Freud, but "Gluck" was thirty years or so his senior.
But as the years went by, J Lyons and Company was buffeted by the economic woes of the 1930's and, more seriously, in the 1970's and '80's. The members of the Fund made decisions about the future of the company, but as often happens, fate didn't always agree. The company was sold to a competitor in the early 1990's.
The other important component in Harding's book is the Salmon and Gluckstein's Judaism and how they fought to fit into the larger, Christian society of England in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Thomas Harding is a compelling writer as he has proven in his previous works of non-fiction. He takes various members of the Salmon and Gluckstein families and brings them to life in his book. A few family secrets are breached but he's tactful in writing about his grandparents' marriage. His grandfather, Sam Salmon, married at the age of 38 a young woman who was 18 years his junior. She was less willing to settle down than he was and Harding implies she was not faithful to her husband. Well, those things happen, in the best of families.
I didn't read "Legacy" because it doesn't come in ebook form. Instead, I listened to it on two long drives every week. The only problem with not reading it was the lack of pictures and family tree that I suppose are in the published versions. I tried to compensate by looking the family up on Wikipedia. And I found several websites devoted to the J Lyons and Salmon and Gluckstein families.
April 5, 2025
Interesting family history about the Salmon and Gluckstein families and the Lyons catering business. Could be cut significantly - in particular, the writer doesn't trust his readers to know the historical context (we don't need so much about the Ripper murders, for instance). The writer is a descendant of what is clearly a complicated family; twice the Tavistock Institute was called in by the senior men of the extended family to help them negotiate the family trust and how to work together.
There are obvious gaps and reticences about what he discusses in the more recent history, and some cherry-picking about what he finds interesting - the LGBTQ artist Gluck, for instance, and his own grandfather's wish to spend time quietly fishing. I'd have liked more detail about the LEO computer and what the company used it to do. And although Harding acknowledges the role of the women in the business, mostly this is the story of men, the senior men who chose to work in the business.
The memorial text he has put up on the graves of the first of the family to come to England is touching, though whether they would recognise it as a summary of their values I don't know: "Find a safe place. Love your family and friends. Give back to society. Savour the good things. Tell your story. Pass it on."
There are obvious gaps and reticences about what he discusses in the more recent history, and some cherry-picking about what he finds interesting - the LGBTQ artist Gluck, for instance, and his own grandfather's wish to spend time quietly fishing. I'd have liked more detail about the LEO computer and what the company used it to do. And although Harding acknowledges the role of the women in the business, mostly this is the story of men, the senior men who chose to work in the business.
The memorial text he has put up on the graves of the first of the family to come to England is touching, though whether they would recognise it as a summary of their values I don't know: "Find a safe place. Love your family and friends. Give back to society. Savour the good things. Tell your story. Pass it on."
Read
January 19, 2023This book was really interesting - I had never heard of this family empire and it was fascinating to learn about this true rags to riches story.
There were a couple of parts that dragged on a bit (namely around the Black Shirt Fascists during WW2) but otherwise I enjoyed the book.
My favorite quote from the book was from Monty (Montague) Gluckstein:
"I can give you the information, but I'm afraid I can't give you the understanding."
There were a couple of parts that dragged on a bit (namely around the Black Shirt Fascists during WW2) but otherwise I enjoyed the book.
My favorite quote from the book was from Monty (Montague) Gluckstein:
"I can give you the information, but I'm afraid I can't give you the understanding."
July 4, 2024
Really enjoyable history of penniless and persecuted immigrant family who ended up founding the legendary Lyons teashops, and various hotels and bakeries, and who changed British culture for the better and grew rich while doing so. It's particularly good on the brilliant entrepreneurship of the founders and early pioneers, especially Monte and Isidore Gluckstein. It's less good on the post-war adventures of the company, where despite a head start in computing and fast food, they managed to lose everything, one of many formerly great British companies that declined and fell in the 60s, 70s and 80s. I would have enjoyed a somewhat more cogent analysis of how the business got dismembered. But perhaps the author, a family member, had to hold himself back a little.
I'm too young to remember anything of Lyons, except possibly the ice-cream, and that when I was a student on the Strand in London, there were still what I know now to be the bones of the company, the Strand Palace Hotel, for example, and a Wimpy Bar on the site of what was, I imagine, a Lyons Corner House.
The book does capture how the Lyons teashops provided female-friendly places to gather with good food at good prices, an innovation in Victorian, Edwardian and later England, and secured for themselves a place in the national consciousness and literature. (Yet I've never seen one.)
So a lovely book of social history, an interesting book of business, and a poignant example of generational rise and fall. Worth your time.
I'm too young to remember anything of Lyons, except possibly the ice-cream, and that when I was a student on the Strand in London, there were still what I know now to be the bones of the company, the Strand Palace Hotel, for example, and a Wimpy Bar on the site of what was, I imagine, a Lyons Corner House.
The book does capture how the Lyons teashops provided female-friendly places to gather with good food at good prices, an innovation in Victorian, Edwardian and later England, and secured for themselves a place in the national consciousness and literature. (Yet I've never seen one.)
So a lovely book of social history, an interesting book of business, and a poignant example of generational rise and fall. Worth your time.
November 14, 2021
This was another book that had a surprise in it's pages. Out for dinner my host offered my a number of books to take home, this was one.
One family's story, one that relates a remarkable tale of the Salmon / Cluckstein families. Like many of those who free themselves from oppression, flee their country of birth, arriving elsewhere with nothing; the ability to make something great from barely anything is a familiar tale. What's is special about each is the way it happens, the prejudice and hardship endured and the irrepressible spirit amongst those who flourish.
This family who adopted a gentile name are their icon has a remarkable story. From the imagination, hard work, and egalitarian manner of 'The Fund' caring for all the family. I count put this story down
At the conclusion of the story lies the plaque that stands beside the grave of the founder is
Here lie Helena and Leemann Gluckstein
Matriarch and patriarch of the family,
who founded the catering firm J. Lyons
and the tobacco retailer Salmon & Gluckstein.
Whose legacy was:
Find a safe place. Love your family and friends.
Give back to society. Savour the good things.
Tell your story.
Pass it on.
Again a great story for our times, good reading
One family's story, one that relates a remarkable tale of the Salmon / Cluckstein families. Like many of those who free themselves from oppression, flee their country of birth, arriving elsewhere with nothing; the ability to make something great from barely anything is a familiar tale. What's is special about each is the way it happens, the prejudice and hardship endured and the irrepressible spirit amongst those who flourish.
This family who adopted a gentile name are their icon has a remarkable story. From the imagination, hard work, and egalitarian manner of 'The Fund' caring for all the family. I count put this story down
At the conclusion of the story lies the plaque that stands beside the grave of the founder is
Here lie Helena and Leemann Gluckstein
Matriarch and patriarch of the family,
who founded the catering firm J. Lyons
and the tobacco retailer Salmon & Gluckstein.
Whose legacy was:
Find a safe place. Love your family and friends.
Give back to society. Savour the good things.
Tell your story.
Pass it on.
Again a great story for our times, good reading
January 3, 2020
This book covers a family spanning across six generations that rose despite persecutions from the 1860s till the second half of the 1900s in England. The author tells the story of each generation in an engaging manner that provides much colour to how life was there back then.
I can't help but notice that the periods from 1900 to 1930s draws eerily similar parallels to Peaky Blinders that show the unity of a strong family core through the times of WW1 & 2 as they build their (in this case legal) empire one deal at a time.
Tidbit 1: Margaret Thatcher was employed by this family when she was fresh out of university as a chemist to research design ice cream that does need milk!!
Tidbit 2 & Peaky Blinder *spoiler alert*: The then head of the Family during the 1930s was claimed to have brought the downfall of Oswald Mosley, the main and (still current) villain at the end of latest fifth season of Peaky Blinders by pressuring the Daily Mail that they will stop buying ads if the press continued to support the British Union of Fascists.
I can't help but notice that the periods from 1900 to 1930s draws eerily similar parallels to Peaky Blinders that show the unity of a strong family core through the times of WW1 & 2 as they build their (in this case legal) empire one deal at a time.
Tidbit 1: Margaret Thatcher was employed by this family when she was fresh out of university as a chemist to research design ice cream that does need milk!!
Tidbit 2 & Peaky Blinder *spoiler alert*: The then head of the Family during the 1930s was claimed to have brought the downfall of Oswald Mosley, the main and (still current) villain at the end of latest fifth season of Peaky Blinders by pressuring the Daily Mail that they will stop buying ads if the press continued to support the British Union of Fascists.
May 3, 2021
A fascinating account of Lyons, the Salmon and Gluckstein family, and the last 200 years of London/British and European history
This is a brilliant book from Thomas Harding. It's really imprrssive how he's managed to weave together the history of the family, the business and the country. While of course the subject of the book is Lyons and the multiple generations which built it, the most interesting thing about the book for me is how much I learnt about the context in which this development took place: anti-Semitism in Europe, suffrage, the first and second world wars, the roaring 20s and great depression, the rise of America and fast food, the development of technology and computers.
There is a section at the beginning which is very business focused; about how Lyons developed it's competitive advantage. In my opinion it's not that interesting. But push through that and you then get to the bulk of the book which guides the reader through my the more interesting history of London, Britain and Europe, and how Lyons fitted into this.
This is a brilliant book from Thomas Harding. It's really imprrssive how he's managed to weave together the history of the family, the business and the country. While of course the subject of the book is Lyons and the multiple generations which built it, the most interesting thing about the book for me is how much I learnt about the context in which this development took place: anti-Semitism in Europe, suffrage, the first and second world wars, the roaring 20s and great depression, the rise of America and fast food, the development of technology and computers.
There is a section at the beginning which is very business focused; about how Lyons developed it's competitive advantage. In my opinion it's not that interesting. But push through that and you then get to the bulk of the book which guides the reader through my the more interesting history of London, Britain and Europe, and how Lyons fitted into this.
August 20, 2021
People might not remember J Lyons and Co today as the name only exists now on a cake brand but for most of the last century they were the largest catering company in the world. Not just the corner houses and Trocodero Restaurant in London but also they pioneered the Wimpy Bar and fast food dining long before Mc Donalds opened here. Not to mention Tetley tea and Lyons Maid Icecream. Even though the company was declining in the late 1970's we still had the Fab icecream bar from them. What makes this book really interesting was how the compnay was founded and controlled by the Salmon and Gluckstein family, Jewish imigrants escaping persecution in Europe who began by making cigars in their rooms and eventually invented mass catering for the Edwardian exhibitions of the time. Really easy to read and not dull at all this book is testement to the contribution imigrants make and still make to this country.
September 6, 2021
A Jewish family escaping discrimination in Germany and the Low Countries in the early 19th century fled to London's East End. By the end of the century the Glucksteins and Salmons launched J.Lyons & Co., synonymous with the fundamental activity of British life, the drinking of tea, particularly in the afternoon. The family started its English life in the cigar-making business. With tremendous business acumen they noted a gap in the catering business and proved their ability in running restaurants and cafes for huge events. Tea shops grew from their observations that women had no place to meet their friends safely outside the home. While succeeding in business they strived to succeed socially and become English first, not as easy task in those years. Harding tells a moving story about a family and a country moving into the 19th century and through two world wars accepting immigration while wary of it. Excellently written with never a dull page.
November 2, 2019
When I was about 9 my dad took me to Lyons cornerhouse, my first experience of a selfservice restaurant and one where my father had eaten in the 1929 depression. When I was at University in Canterbury I made pocket money waitressing in Wimpy's without knowing that Empire Catering was Lyons. I had to read this book. I love history and genealogy but wanted more on the characters. What did they write to each other in their letters? Perhaps such a wide canvas that it needs separate books for the different family groups and more detail of their lives, experiences and feelings. This book while interesting was somewhat dry and drawn out but a great family biography of huge scope none the less and illustrating the tie in between our lives and historical events.
February 7, 2022
I have to say I loved this book. It is the story of a rather remarkable family and in particular a company that people of a certain age will remember. The company of J Lyons was the brain child of a Jewish family who in just a few short years in the UK had made their mark despite antisemitism and the backdrop of wars and a changing Empire. Its a really good read and if you are anyway interested in British social history you should read this book. Its well researched, well written by the grandson of one of the Llyons CEO's, it is in fact the family company. Its a lovely, interesting read about a family who stick together and who win the race to survive and win it well despite the decline in J. Lyons.
February 29, 2020
I really enjoyed this fascinating and well constructed history. My particular angle of interest was Lyons' entry into the computer business which they called LEO, in which my late father played a leading part, but that was only one of a whole series of remarkable and ground-breaking innovations, many of them well ahead of their time, and a riveting story of a family business that started from poverty and refugee status. Very interesting to compare the Lyons story with that of Marks and Spencer, which could do with similar treatment - perhaps when Thomas Harding is looking for another project?
August 20, 2024
It's often very self-indulgent for people to write books about their families. Thomas Harding has somehow managed to pull off writing two of them, one about each side of his family, with each an excellent slice of life. His first one considered a house on the border between East and West Berlin. This book considers his mom's family, who raise from poor roots as Jewish immigrants to becoming prominent British businessmen (and yes only men, unfortunately). The men had a compact to work together and went from strength to strength betting on Britain for 100 years before it all unraveled in a decade. It's a great way to consider Britain from 1870 to 1980.
October 6, 2024
One family's story, one that relates a remarkable tale of the Salmon / Gluckstein families. Like many of those who free themselves from oppression, flee their country of birth, arriving elsewhere with nothing; the ability to make something great from barely anything is a familiar tale. What's is special about each is the way it happens, the prejudice and hardship endured and the irrepressible spirit amongst those who flourish.
This family who adopted a gentile name are their icon has a remarkable story. From the imagination, hard work, and egalitarian manner of 'The Fund' caring for all the family.
This family who adopted a gentile name are their icon has a remarkable story. From the imagination, hard work, and egalitarian manner of 'The Fund' caring for all the family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2023
"...for you are dust, and to dust you shall return (The Bible)." This is what this story of a business family and its legacy tells. It contains important business and entrepreneurial lessons, but not easy to capture unless you are a deep thinker. The multi-generational story of a migrant Jewish family, which struggles for survival running from country to country arriving in Britain, and through hard work, grit, and close knit family bondage rose up to the business stardom in UK, in spite of all adversities, only to fall back again in three generations to dust.
January 22, 2020
It was a fascinating book who relates the real story of the Lehmann/Gluckstein family from Germany(around 1850) to England up to 1980. Since the beginning I got hook on this family throughout the history of England. You see how visionary man who was Monte. The author,Thomas Harding is a descendant of this family and writes clearly the story which is weaved to the industrial revolution and British catering world.
June 18, 2020
The history of the family and the industry of the generation of its members was extremely interesting. However it was too long and it was very difficult to work out who was who apart from the particular patriarch of the current time. It was well written and Well constructed over all. I felt sad at the end when the features of the company were no longer a part of the British society as they had been for so many years.
September 12, 2019
Extremely readable and added to my knowledge. Left me feeling slightly sorry for the family though - all that hard work, success and 'unity', but did it make them happy?
Also interesting in the context of diversity of thought in the workplace - imagine if they had allowed women and 'outsiders' to have a voice and a public role!
Also interesting in the context of diversity of thought in the workplace - imagine if they had allowed women and 'outsiders' to have a voice and a public role!
April 17, 2020
What an amazing story. It is a true account of the Salmon and Gluckstein families who built up a business empire including the famous Jo Lyons tea shops. Starting from humble beginnings fleeing Europe in the 1800's from anti semitism and starting a tobacco business in London, which grew into catering, hotels, ice cream to mention a few of their enterprises. A must read.
March 6, 2022
What an interesting book and written in a very readable style! However, I felt that particularly in the first half, there were details that could have been omitted. It’s a thick, heavy book – one feels like one’s carrying a brick – but it is a worthwhile read.
November 13, 2023
An amazing account of a truly amazing family.
The detail, though research and well drawn characters make this story as relevant and valuable today as it was for those living during this life changing period. A great lesson in 'family first' values.
The detail, though research and well drawn characters make this story as relevant and valuable today as it was for those living during this life changing period. A great lesson in 'family first' values.
March 11, 2025
Really enjoyed this fascinating family history of the family behind Lyons tea shops and so much more. Well written and informative. I started with the audio book, but then borrowed the book as well to see the family trees and photographs, which add so much.
October 14, 2019
Love it
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