Paul Erdman facts for kids

Paul Emil Erdman was an American economist and banker. He was born in Canada. He became famous for writing exciting novels about money and international finance. These books often explored what might happen in the world's financial markets.

Early Life and Education

Paul Erdman was born in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, on May 19, 1932. His father was an American Lutheran minister. Paul graduated from Concordia Seminary in 1954. He also studied at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. After college, he worked as an assistant editor at the Washington Post newspaper. He also gained experience at a brokerage house in Washington.

In 1958, he earned his PhD degree in economics from the University of Basel in Switzerland. He then worked as a financial analyst for the European Coal and Steel Community. From 1959 to 1961, he was an economist at SRI International in Menlo Park, California.

Banking Career

In 1965, Paul Erdman became the president of Salik Bank, a Swiss bank. Later, in 1969, another bank bought a large part of Salik Bank. It was renamed the United California Bank in Basel. This bank faced big problems after making risky investments in the cocoa market. The bank eventually collapsed. Paul Erdman left the bank and later moved to England.

Writing Career

While facing challenges, Erdman started writing. He wrote the first part of his novel, The Billion Dollar Sure Thing, on a typewriter. This book won an Edgar Award in 1974 for Best First Novel. His second novel, The Silver Bears (1974), was even made into a movie in 1978.

Paul Erdman is known for inventing the "financial thriller" type of book. These are exciting stories that involve the world of money and finance. His book The Swiss Account (1992) was important. The information in it helped in finding money that belonged to Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Erdman also became a financial columnist for MarketWatch. He regularly shared his thoughts on money matters. He wrote book reviews for The New York Times and articles about professional football. He was an expert in international economics. He also wrote non-fiction books, like Tug of War, which shared his ideas about how money is exchanged between countries.

Personal Life

Paul Erdman was married to Helly Boeglin. They had two daughters together. After his time in Switzerland, they moved to England. Later, they settled in Northern California. Paul Erdman passed away from cancer at his ranch in Healdsburg, California on April 23, 2007.

Selected Fictional Works

• The Billion Dollar Sure Thing (1973)
• The Silver Bears (1974)
• The Crash Of '79 (1976)
• The Last Days Of America (1981)
• The Panic Of '89 (1986)
• The Palace (1987)
• What's Next? (1988)
• The Swiss Account (1992)
• Zero Coupon (1993)
• The Set-up (1997)
• The Great Game (2007)

Selected Non-Fictional Works