The story of how Max Warburg became head of the family-owned bankhouse, although his brother was supposed to take over the business, was often told: When he was 12 years old, the one year older Aby offered Max his birthright for the promise to buy all the books Aby would ever need. Max accepted, and - as he later said - issued "the biggest blank cheque in my life". The paths of life of the two brothers spilt into different directions. Aby built his library into a research institute. Max developed M. M. Warburg & Co., thus the bankhouse becoming one of the most important private banks in Germany. At Simultaneously, they both pursued another goal: the foundation of the university. The brothers were among the early donors of the Hamburg Scientific Foundation (Hamburgische Wissenschaftliche Stiftung). It was all about "Hamburg's mental capacity" ("Hamburgs geistige Zahlungsfähigkeit").

2. Ausgabe (2020): ISBN 978-3-943423-85-3, DOI 10.15460/HUP.MFW.17.02.207