Product Description

Richard Branson's life is an adventure - from terrifying balloon flights, record-breaking Atlantic crossings and courtroom battles with British Airways to the daring Gulf War airlift from Baghdad and the sale of the world-famous Virgin Records. Filled with anecdotes about rock stars, politicians, friends and foes, Losing My Virginity offers fascinating insights into the inner workings of Virgin and the man whose ethos of family, work and living on the edge has always kept the company in the news.

An international No.1 bestseller, Losing My Virginity: The Autobiography is a very personal look at the world's favourite businessman.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #66982 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Love him or loathe him, you've got to admit it, Richard Branson has drive. And guts. And enough ambition to sink a battleship--or perhaps that should be a jumbo jet--or even a whole company of jumbos if the Virgin Atlantic/British Airways debacle (which takes up a huge chunk of this already huge tome) is anything to go by.

Branson's autobiography makes immensely fascinating reading. Whatever you think of Britain's most famous entrepreneur, the odds are that you will enjoy reading his autobiography. You may snort at descriptions of his "poor" childhood--spent eating bread and dripping while living in a house the majority of us visit on Bank Holidays and attending a "minor" public school. You may groan at memories of early initiative tests: how about being ejected from the family car and told by his mother to find his way home--at the age of four? You may flinch at accounts of his early business days as an unwashed, unshod, hippy magazine publisher living en famille with his staff in the crypt of a West London church. But, all in all, you'll get to understand where the guy's coming from--man.

And, like the man himself, there's no holds barred here. Richard bares his soul, from childhood, school days (cheating at exams), loves and losses (lost one wife when a spot of wife-swapping went drastically wrong--for him), death-defying adventures (yes, the balloons are all there), to the rise and rise of the Virgin empire. His interviews for Student magazine and the early days of Virgin Music read like a chronicle of popular music and culture in the late 20th century. Famous names bounce off every page. Prepare to be enthralled by the life and times of a walking publicity machine. --Carey Green

Frank Kane, Sunday Business
'Richard Branson is an incredible man, and this is an incredible autobiography... a great read - sex, balloons, intrigue and money.'

Lord Hanson, The Spectator
'He grabs you on page one and never lets go. His story is compelling reading... Dramatic ups and downs, simple, bright, exhilarating, leaving you safe and sound at the end... Buy the book and read what makes this brilliant and hard-working man tick.'

Customer Reviews

Excellent
I loved this book. Branson is so honest throughout. He's an amzing person. I could not put the book down from start to finish!

Losing My Virginity: The Autobiography
Losing My Virginity: The Autobiography. This was gift, I kept putting it off before reading. Once I started I could not put it down. A great book, very well written and interesting. Its time for the updated version or book two.

Jewels of wisdom from Richard, I just craved more!
I'm glad I read this book, the chronology of it flows exceptionally and it's like finding a real gem of understanding reading his anecdotes and reactions to situations that come his way. The most interesting parts for me was understanding his business start-up and development (the first half I would say), this could sell the book on its own.

Problems: Ok, I'm not sure about everyone else's reasons, but the reasons why I chose to read this book in the first place was to understand how and why Mr Branson approaches business in the way he does and what EXACTLY his methodology and thought processes are/were. Perhaps it's curiosity, tips, self-evaluation, whatever. Anyway, all the other peripheral stuff like his ballooning trips (multiple and repetitive) and the social conscience he develops and promotes toward the end just really slow down the momentum of the book.

I guess I wanted consistent and unadulterated nitty gritty insight into the grey matter of a stupendously successful businessman but there were only snippets and cryptic clues throughout that verged on frustrating. But whatever, it's Richard: he and his philosophies are awesome and you should buy this book just to contribute to the Virgin Empire.