Inside Out: An Insider's Account of Wall Street [Hardcover]

Dennis B. Levine (Author), William Hoffer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 1991

The national bestseller that reveals the truth behind the insider trading scandal that felled Boesky and Milken--by the man who fell first. On May 12, 1986, Dennis Levine was arrested for insider trading. Now he takes readers into the heart of the scandal that resulted in his ultimate downfall--into "a world where reality and moral values became warped . . . where right and wrong became blurred" (Dennis B. Levine).

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Levine, one-time managing director of Drexel Burnham Lambert and cohort of Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken, spent 17 months in federal prison for inside trading. Arrested in 1986, he was the "first domino" whose revelations helped bring down others. How did a "middle-class boy from Queens" raised to ethical standards become a crook? "There is no easy answer," writes Levine, who spends 432 pages of this brisk first-person narrative attempting to convince the reader that he is basically a decent guy who was "blinded by unrelenting ambition, to be sure." As for "smug" Boesky, Levine, who now heads a financial consulting firm, deems him "one of the most manipulative and deceptive individuals I ever met." Those intrigued by details of Wall Street wheeling and dealing will enjoy this confessional. Coauthor Hoffer also co-wrote Not Without My Daughter. Photos. BOMC and Fortune Book Club alternates; condensation rights to Reader's Digest.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Without condoning the insider trading for which Levine was convicted in 1986, it must be said that this is (as the blurb has it) a riveting book. Serving 17 months provided Levine time to reflect on his crime, wondering why, with a salary of $2 million-plus, he continued to use his inside knowledge of mergers and acquisitions to trade illicitly, racking up profits of $11 million. Levine's chronicle is free of business-world jargon and obtuse concepts, the pace is intense, and the events are fascinating. All the big names later also convicted (Ivan Boesky, Michael Milken) are here, as well as the Leveraged Buyout (LBO) mavens Rupert Murdoch and Carl Icahn. The question remains: How can we prevent future insider trading? Even in prison Levine was continually asked for "hot tips" by other inmates. Recommended, not just for business collections.
- Alex Wenner, Indiana Univ. Libs., Bloomington
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 431 pages
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons; 1st edition (September 25, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039913655X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399136559
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #428,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read, But Highly Biased, April 6, 2003

By 

"the-guz" (Burlington, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside Out: An Insider's Account of Wall Street (Hardcover)

I read this book before reading "Den of Thieves". I would really love to know what has happened to the author since publication. I found the book very interesting even though I found the author unrepentant and heavily biased in his interpretation of actual events (read "Den of Thieves"). Seems as though Levine wrote the book to mainly make amends to his wife and to convince readers of his own importance. However, I do tend to believe Levine's descriptions of the behind-the-scenes investment world.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I was Tricked!, March 8, 2007

By 

Jon Boy "Tar Heel" (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside Out (Paperback)

Mr. Levine casts himself as a somewhat honorable person in this book. When forced by the SEC to implicate others in insider trading he states he was emotionally devastated but grudgingly complied. He claims his attorney, in 30 years of practice, never witnessed a defendant become so emotional with betraying his work associates.

Hold the presses.

On page 311 of "Den of Thieves" another perspective emerges: "Despite his claims to Wilkis that he'd never cooperate, Levine seemed eager to ensare his fellow conspirators."

This is just one example of Levine's revisionist history. Instead of reading this book, read "Den of Thieves."

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Better Books Out There, April 14, 2002

By 

John G. Hilliard (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside Out: An Insider's Account of Wall Street (Hardcover)

What happens when someone with the ego the size of New York gets a book contract? Read this book and find out. This guy is amassing, the book details out his make and break it life in Wall Street and is more of an additional way for him to continue pumping up his ego. There are promises of his wheeling and dealing details and how he was one of the majors in the Junk Bond and M & A scene of he 80's, but once you read the book it seams more like he was always looking in the window at the real players. Sure he was a crook, but not the top level, more of an upper middle management kind of guy. Overall the book does not really give you much new info, it really is just a description of this arrogant fat cat that wanted the world to treat him like a king. I would suggest you not be an enabler to his egomania and move past this book. If you are interested in this topic then I would suggest you also read "Den of Thieves" and "Predator's Ball", both of which cover the 80's M&A and Junk Bond world. To get a better understanding of KKR, I would suggest "Masters of Debit". They are much better books then this one.