AM Best

The AM Best Business Trilogy

In 1899, Alfred M. Best started working out of a one-room office in New York City. At the time, he didn’t realize he was not only starting a company but creating the world's first credit rating agency. Since then, AM Best has grown to become the largest credit rating agency in the world specializing in the insurance industry, as well as a news publisher and data analytics provider, and will mark its 125th anniversary on December 14, 2024. We’ve come a long way from the one-room office where the company started in 1899, and we’d like to share the story with you.

The AM Best Business Trilogy tells the story of AM Best, its founder, and the credit rating industry.

Purchase the Trilogy Set

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Paper from responsible sources.

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Printing these books on paper made with post-consumer recycled fiber saves:

963 trees

1,156,000 gallons of water

1,256,000,000 BTU's of energy

813,000 lbs of green house gas

23.9 acres of land

Now you can listen to The Man in audiobook format. Convenient for readers on the go, this version features sound effects to enhance your listening experience.

Book Reviews

See what reviewers are saying about The AM Best Business Trilogy.

AM Best’s company story is developed through the words of those who devoted their lives to it.

—Clarion Review, The Company

Makes the life of the businessman fascinating.

—BlueInk Review, The Man

The book ultimately offers useful information not just on credit ratings, but also on the world economy.

—Kirkus Reviews, The Industry

This thoughtfully produced book would likely be appreciated most by those with an interest in business or finance, although it may also appeal to readers who enjoy learning about how events in American history impacted our country’s development and evolution.

—BlueInk Review, The Company

Its articulate and insightful presentation will make it a welcome addition to any bookshelf.

—BlueInk Review, The Man

It contextualizes the importance of credit ratings, showing how they spread across the globe, guiding investors through economic booms and crises.

—Clarion Review, The Industry

…the writing style is engaging, rather than dry, and delightful anecdotes about human nature are interspersed throughout.

—BlueInk Review, The Company

The Man is a robust biography that pays tribute to Alfred M. Best, the founder of a credit rating business.

—Clarion Review, The Man

Readers interested in learning how credit rating agencies got to where they are today will find this a useful reference.

—BlueInk Review, The Industry

Seamlessly weaving together the disparate components of Best’s complicated life.

—BlueInk Review, The Man

This series opener delivers a highly articulate look at the topic of credit and how it relates to the economy as a whole.

—Kirkus Reviews, The Industry

The Company is a hefty company biography, showing how AM Best revolutionized the credit rating industry.

—Clarion Review, The Company

The Man should capture an audience well beyond readers in the insurance trade.

—BlueInk Review, The Man

…the book lavishes emphasis on the race between credit rating agencies and the impact of congressional acts.

—Clarion Review, The Industry

The Man is a robust biography that pays tribute to Alfred M. Best, the founder of a credit rating business.

—Clarion Review, The Man

AM Best’s The Industry chronicles the credit rating industry’s past with diligence and a wealth of insider knowledge.

—Clarion Review, The Industry

…it is meticulous in its tracking of the industry into the present.

—Clarion Review, The Industry

…this weighty and ambitious book shows how credit rating businesses developed and evolved in the United States.

—Clarion Review, The Industry