Principles of Corporate Finance

by Richard A. Brealey, Stewart C. Myers

This is the worldwide leading text on the theory and practice of corporate finance. Throughout the book the authors show how managers use financial theory to solve practical problems and as a way of learning how to respond to change by showing not just how, but why, companies and management act as they do. The text is comprehensive, authoritative and modern and yet the material is presented at a common sense level. The discussions and illustrations are unique due to the depth of detail blended with a distinct sense of humour for which the book is well known and highly regarded. This text is a valued reference for thousands of practising financial managers.

Genres: Finance, Business, Economics, Textbooks, Nonfiction, Reference, Management

1120 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1980

About the author

Richard A. Brealey is a British economist and author. He was formerly a special adviser to the Governor of the Bank of England and Visiting Professor of Finance and the Tokai Bank Professor of Finance at the London Business School.

Reviews

[JP Douma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good introduction into the subject matter. I need to brush up on my knowledge for an upcoming venture and this book allows me to be on speaking terms with my corporate finance partners quickly. It's a pity the publisher won't sell me the answers to the questions in the back. Then again publishers aren't known for their marketing and selling skills.

[Mikkel Tolnaes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to finance. It is very comprehensive, and I suppose a bit challenging to get through for those with no finance background, but it is well worth the effort. As strange as it sounds, it makes the subject of finance quite engaging.

[Nivas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finance textbook for Finance 1, 2 and 3. Great book on Finance

[Rohan Dalvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains everything from first principles, which I really like. Only complaint is that (like most textbooks) it could be made much more concise. But you could definitely get a lot of value by thoughtfully skimming it. Effectively bridged economic theory and practical issues in the world of finance.

[T.B. Bos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consider this the bedrock of any further understanding one might have of the financial economy and how it interfaces with the real economy

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coming into this with no finance background, it's great for learning how corporations are run. I skimmed most of the math sections but all the other units were interesting. I came out with several new perspectives on business and on personal finance. Specifically the usefulness of debt and the correlation of risk vs reward.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned that finance is not a good topic to discuss from 1-4 on Sat. in the summer.

[Navina Bhatia]

not yet read

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent book - took some time to get used to the style but the content is there.

[arbuz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Сложно. Зато классика.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gateway book for me at this time of my education while doing an internship in Los Angeles with Merrill Lynch -- 20-25 pages per day until I finished it. Changed my future professional life.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm currently working on my MBA. I graduated with a 4.0 and a 3.79 for my two undergraduate degrees; I work hard for my grades. In all my currently nine years of higher education I've never come across a more poorly written textbook. There is a lot of math involved, but formulas are rarely clearly given, and algebraic rearrangements of the formulas are interspersed without comment or warning. Examples are wordy and difficult to follow. The index misses many important concepts and the glossary refuses to include any sort of formula to assist with calculations.

McGraw Hill also has online assignments that correlate with the text. Or they are supposed to. The questions jump around from chapter to chapter (60% of questions from chapter 1's assignment can't be solved without having read chapter 2, for example). The questions that do correlate only do so tenuously; the book teaches you that 1 + 1 = 2, but the assignment questions ask 3x * (28 ^ 10 / 1 - r).

The only good thing I can say for the text is that it is written very unpretentiously. When describing concepts, it generally succeeds. When demonstrating concepts, it fails utterly.

[MadZiddi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cash is King!! The nemesis of my youth. I have just the much torn version in my libary as a memento. But really wish I had made literature my profession instead of finance. But then again, there are pieces of classic literature that are as boring if not more, as quantative finance. Ahh the search for the ultimate elusive objective reality!! Numbers are neat, but but they do reduce you to a homogenous automaton. Dont they?!

[David Severus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realistically the only book that covers most if not all topics regarding valuing companies, businesses, and fundamental economic principles. And honestly, it's the only book that needs to be read if you're interested in learning about finance in general.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite finance book. taught me core fundamentals I know about finance, and had fun examples in it. It's very well written, I read this without a college degree and understood every bit of it. encouraged me to take a bachelors in math

[Michal Černocký · Rating 5 out of 5]

worth reading, more-less mainly about net present value of money

[Michal Paszkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprisingly interesting, full of explanations, examples and practice questions. Perfect for understanding how corporate money works.

[Rojan Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have book for all the entrants.

[Diego A · Rating 4 out of 5]

En algunas ocasiones es bueno cambiar el enfoque, parar por un momento, y educarse financieramente. Excelente libro, muy teorico y con muchos ejercicios. Elemental para los que recien comenzamos 😍

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clear, good structure and flow. Introduces difficult concepts well and doesn't overcomplicate.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding textbook.

[Lucy]

Recommended for info on M&A

[Gabomur · Rating 5 out of 5]

La polla, un poco difícil de entender pero completo, leer antes economía, estadística y un poco de matemática

[John Boettcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, applicable information that is approachable and applicable to anything you are working on regarding corporate finance. It is a textbook, so it is quite long and a bit dry, but the information in it is well researched and valuable.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Worst finance textbook ever.

[Kelly]

I am giving this one a re-read. It is a classic in the finance world.

[Lester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book on finance. It has everything you need, including a dose of reality and scepticism about some of the theories it explains.

[Geo Vittoratos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finance is a pretty dry subject but this book manages to be pretty darn engaging for a complicated subject. Everything is clearly explained and the book flows very well.

[Nasser Almutawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Done

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used as textbook for Introduction to Finance course, Graduate School of Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon University, Spring 1981.