Whereas business institutions in the Islamic world remained atomised, the West developed ever more resilient corporations limited liability became widely available in the mid-19th century as well as a penumbra of technologies such as double-entry book-keeping and stockmarkets.

ECONOMIST: Schumpeter

There is only one rule -- no book, no entry.

BBC: Paris�� 21st Century literary salon

This year's merger between DBS Group Holdings of Singapore and the Dao Heng Bank of Hong Kong illustrates the high price outsiders are willing to pay for quick entry--3.2 times book.

FORBES: One China, Many Choices

Roelie Post, who as a European Commission official dealt with adoption in the run-up to Romania's entry to the European Union, has written a book on her experience of dealing with what she sees as a powerful adoption lobby that preys on weak and poor countries.

ECONOMIST: International adoption