Big Deal : 2000 and Beyond [Hardcover]

Bruce Wasserstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000

This work provides insight into how market volatility, technological change, an evolving regulatory environment and a changing business leadership have generated the biggest deals of all time. Some mergers discussed include Exxon/Mobil and America Online/Netscape.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fascinating and thorough history of mergers." -- USA Today

"A great read and a terrific history of mergers and acquisitions." -- Lou Dobbs, CNN Moneyline

"A master work from a master of his craft. A rarity: a book that is both readable and informative." -- Joseph Flom, senior partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

"A mesmerizing play-by-play of the merger game." -- John Snow, chairman, president, and CEO, CSX Corporation

"A must-read book." -- Martin Lipton, senior partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

"A ring-side seat to the workings of the corporate business deal." -- Peter I. Bijur, chairman of the board and CEO, Texaco, Inc.

"A stimulating perspective on the current m & a boom." -- Financial Times

"BIG DEAL is a big deal." -- Sanford I. Weill, chairman and CEO, Travellers Group

"Lucid and engaging. Wasserstein combines breadth of vision with practical insight and a sure sense of relevance. A rare and valuable book." -- Robert Clark, dean, Harvard Law School

"The legendary chairman and CEO of Wasserstein Perella, veteran of over 1,000 deals, describes the evolution of modern deal-making." -- Barron's

About the Author

BRUCE WASSERSTEIN is the chairman and CEO of Wasserstein Perella & Co. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he entered Harvard Law School at nineteen and graduated from both the Law School and Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar with high distinctions, and then from Cambridge University, where he was a Knox Fellow. He worked as a lawyer at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and was co-head of investment banking at First Boston before starting his own firm in 1988. He lives in New York City with his wife, Claude, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and film producer, and his three children. His sister Wendy is the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 832 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books; Rev Sub edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446526428
• ISBN-13: 978-0446526425
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #586,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Understanding M&A and Everything In Between, January 25, 2000

By 

Randy Wood - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Deal : 2000 and Beyond (Hardcover)

Bruce Wasserstein has managed to make the complex world of mergers and acquisitions as understandable as it can be exciting. He not only explains the intricacies of the transactions but does so in a way that the neophyte can quickly and easily grasp. He also paints fascinating portraits of the players involved. In so doing he puts flesh on the skeleton of the technical explanations. And of course there are the in depth and fascinating stories of the deals themselves- some with which the world is familiar and others of a more esoteric nature but all described in a page turning story tellers fashion.

This is the story from the inside. From a man who has participated in and observed some of the largest and most fascinating of corporate transactions. Fortunately not only is he an excellent M&A attorney but he's an excellent writer as well.

For those involved in transactions of this kind or who want to understand them better for investment purposes it's a textbook that will be referred to constantly.

And for those who are just interested in the drama of the deal it's a wonderful read.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The M&A Handbook - Wasserstein is the M&A king, March 8, 2001

By 

Greg Chou - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Deal : 2000 and Beyond (Hardcover)

As a former summer M&A analyst at the M&A boutique formerly known as Wasserstein Perella, I had the opportunity to work for the man who wrote the essential "handbook on M&A." This book describes in great detail, not to mention with some exciting stories, the processes of the M&A transaction. In my opinion, Wasserstein is the king of the M&A world, having executed some of the largest deals in the industry. Although long, the book does provide lots of information about the deal-making process.

For anyone interested in the process of the M&A deal, the Big Deal, especially the updated 2000 version, is essential. During my summer at the firm, I got to experience the very workings that the book describes as happening during a deal. The book artfully uses Wasserstein's real-life experiences to add excitement, credibility, and clarity to understanding what happens during an M&A deal. This book, however, does not read like a novel, but more like a textbook laden with actual examples to explain its points. I would recommend this book to serious investment bankers who enjoy such technical readings. For a more humerous read or novel-like book, try either Monkey Business or Den of Theives. While not as technically sound, their intentions are different, as they are more story-telling driven books. The Big Deal can essentially be used as a textbook.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, October 23, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Big Deal : 2000 and Beyond (Hardcover)

M&A tycoon Bruce Wasserstein has not just studied the high-stakes world of corporate mergers & acquisitions, he's lived it. As head of M&A at First Boston and then as leader of his own firm, Wasserstein has played a role in many pivotal corporate marriages. In these pages, Wasserstein comprehensively examines the hows and whys of history's largest deals. While skirting the fundamental question of whether mergers & acquisitions enhance or depress shareholder value over the long term, Wasserstein conveys an overwhelming amount of information about the dynamics and tactics that define M&A. The book is enormous and encyclopedic, so it might serve better as a reference text than a straight-through read. We [...] strongly recommend this book for both its compelling historic accounts of Wall Street's most important deals and deal makers and its detailed breakdown of how the game actually works.