Books Lately – Back from the Brink by Sir Michael Edwardes

This isn’t a new book but an old book that is well worth seeking out if you are interested in the history of British Leyland. Sir Michael Edwardes was a successful South African businessman who was approached in 1977 to take on the task of turning British Leyland into a viable business. The book provides an insight into what Britain was like in the late 1970s and early 1980s and the character of some of the key political figures of the time.

It took me a while to get to grips with the writing style, the level of detail meant that the pace felt a little slow sometimes. It is well worth sticking with in order to understand the problems BL faced and how Edwardes addressed them in his 5 years as chairman.

I found my copy in a charity shop and even though I hadn’t even known that the book existed I did know who Michael Edwardes was and reasoned that he was bound to have a story worth reading. It took me a long time to work through the book but I still consider the price I paid to be about the best £2.50 I spent this year.