The catastrophic events of 2008 prove that the financial world has not learnt the lessons of my own tragic tale. But anyone who thinks that the world of derivatives is just about greedy bankers who put our pensions and savings at risk is wrong. Day One Trader is the gripping chronicle of the unknown working class heroes of the Liffe floor who shattered a glass ceiling of elitism in the City of London and helped build one of the few financial institutions that we can be proud of...

NICK LEESON

Day One Trader is the exclusive story of John Sussex on his journey from son of a Basildon factory worker, leaving school at 16, to successful City financier and member of the Liffe board.

Providing a unique insight to this competitive and often brutal industry, readers will discover the tactics used by dealers to survive the jungle of the pits in a story that chronicles the floor banter and characters that made Liffe a global derivatives powerhouse.

Packed full of exclusive - until now unreported - stories, Day One Trader sheds new light on what motivated characters such as Nick Leeson, and provides insight to the Liffe floor star traders.

Financial experts and novices alike will be gripped by Sussex's account of the highs and lows of a career that spanned almost three decades in the history of the financial markets.