The French sociologist Pierre Raymond arrived in Colombia around 1980 and has since then contributed to the development of rural studies in the country. Thus, he became familiar with the Santander region and particularly with the cane-producing River Suárez basin to which Suaita municipality belongs. Among other topics, Raymond is familiar with the long history of santanderano cotton production. Unexpectedly, he found a chain of notary's documents which, supplemented by interviews with many of the surviving actors, consultation of newspapers, solid bibliography and academic conversation, allowed him to trace the history of the factories of San José, located in Suaita. Raymond considers this subject ‘worthy of careful study, for all it reveals of economic history, social and political life and because it belongs to the eastern Colombian region on which the studies of industrial and business history are scarce’ (p. 9).

The narrative of this agricultural and industrial enterprise, in a period spanning seven decades, c. 1906–81, unravels a complex and fascinating society. At its core stands Lucas Caballero Barrera, the patriarch of the company. He was a prominent political figure after the Thousand Days' War (1899–1902). Minister of finance in 1905, weary of political disorder, parochial and unaware of the intricacies of cosmopolitan capitalism, Caballero made several trips to Europe and the United States over the ensuing years in search of capital for developing an ambitious and vague industrial project, a ‘chimera’ based on a large property in San José.

So begins a saga of unexpected friendships, fierce clashes and, above all, legal disputes that weaved together the Caballero Barrera family group, Belgian and French financiers and a US textile manufacturer from 1912 to 1918, when the European creditors took over. The author describes carefully the development of the company: its unresolved funding problems, its obsolete technology, high transport costs, bottlenecks in the supply of inputs (cotton and labour), and the poor marketing of chocolate and coarse fabrics, its main products. From 1912 to 1944 there loomed management hurdles for a firm that had plants located in an isolated large estate in eastern Colombia, run with little coordination from Bogotá, Antwerp and New York.

Permanent disputes between partners were, ultimately, over control of the majority of shares. The Caballero family returned to obtain majority ownership in 1944, thanks to its network of political connections. Then it started a fierce struggle, both private and public, with a branch of the López Caballero, an ally of the Franco-Belgian group. The quarrel lasted until the final liquidation of the company in the early 1980s. The history ends with the pyrrhic victory of the López Caballero. In this respect, a family tree would have been most helpful to the reader. Raymond clearly describes the vicissitudes of the workers and their union, detailing their strikes and showing how they were the real big losers in the final settlement.

The family feud took place ‘in the courts, in the circles of power through intrigue’ (p. 151). What makes this case unique is the direct involvement of an acting president of the republic and his son (Alfonso López Pumarejo and Alfonso López Michelsen, who married one of the heirs, Cecilia Caballero). This created a political scandal which, along with several others, led the Liberal Party to electoral defeat in 1946, according to one of the Liberal leaders of the time, Alberto Lleras Camargo (p. 352).

The tela of the book's title means ‘fabric’ in Spanish, but in the popular idiom ‘mucha tela que cortar’ also means that there is ‘much to be done’. In this sense, had the author presented the social, political, economic and business milieu of the San José company using key concepts and methods of the social sciences, his historical narrative would have been clearer and better structured. Let me mention a few aspects.

First, throughout the period considered by this book, protectionism and particularly textile protectionism was a leading policy of the Colombian government. Without that policy, the factories in San José would not have been possible. So, when protectionism ended in the 1980s, even the successful textile enterprises of Medellín, which Raymond considers a benchmark, succumbed.

Second, the limitations of the economic and accounting information of the sources employed do not allow the author to clarify with precision why the plants were set up in such inappropriate locations and used outdated technology that created insuperable productivity problems, not least insufficient economies of scale. Even if the quality of management had been outstanding, the company was doomed to failure since its inception.

Third, the sense of ‘aristocratic honor’ of the patriarch and his brothers was transmitted to future generations. So, when the Caballero family regained some control of the firm, ‘they re-appropriated their hacienda house and lived there; for most of them, the interest in San Jose had little to do with the industrial aspects of their property’ (p. 215). One could add paternalistic political honour, as well – Raymond cites a 1999 interview with a worker concerning an incident in which Lucas Caballero Calderón, the famous Liberal columnist known as Klim, cried out ‘Long live the Liberal Party’ in the Plaza de Suaita during the Conservative dictatorship (1947–53). The authorities imposed a fine of 100 pesos that he paid with a 200-peso bill. Since there was no money to give change, Lucas decided to ‘spend’ the 100 pesos he was owed by repeating his cries of ‘Long live the Liberal Party’ (p. 356).

Fourth, the history of this company, as in many other similar cases, highlights the insidious effects of endless lawsuits by renowned lawyers well connected to political power and high society circles, the study of which should be the focus of more detailed future research.

In short, this is a well-written book which sheds light on the connections from local to global and the linkages between national politics, foreign investors, family businesses, lawyers, newspapers and courts.