Losing My Virginity

The autobiography of the Virgin tycoon. "Having come close to dying over the Atlas Mountains, I thought that I should write this book now, in case my guardian angel ever deserts me. I also realised that my children, Holly and Sam, who are still young, would not really know what I had done and why I had done it. So this autobiography is for Holly and Sam, the best thing I've created in the last eighteen years (though I can't take all the credit).

But most especially for their mother, my wife Joan, who's seen me through most of the highs and lows. I have also written this book to show how we made Virgin what it is today.

Rather like our balloon flights, these years have been all about survival.

If you read carefully between the lines you will, I hope, understand our vision and where we are going. Some people say that this vision breaks all the rules and is wildly kaleidoscopic; others say that Virgin is set to become one of the leading brand names of the next century; others analyse it down to the last degree and write academic papers on it. As for me and the wonderful team around me, we just pick up the phone and get on with it -- and have one hell of an adventure in the process."