Customer Reviews

The Rise of Mr. Ponzi

5 star:		(3)
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I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought this book. Ponzi is a universally recognized name (at least in the US), but I knew little of the details of the story. The book is primarily composed of the writing of Charles Ponzi. Despair (the publisher) has done a great job of adding to the story by way of images and some great material at the end. Ponzi's writings are as he wrote them (Despair did not alter his words). The images really help you to place yourself in the time and places he lived/visited.

Ponzi's writing is very good. He was a witty guy. I especially enjoyed his little remarks about Charles Morse, Presidents Taft, Coolidge and Hoover, and others. Ponzi's writing alone could stand on its own, but the additional material provided by Despair adds quite a bit.

My one complaint is that it might be a bit too big (the physical size of the book). That's a minor beef though.

I highly recommend this book. I can't do it justice in a review. Read it and enjoy a great story put together in a wonderful way.

This is the best book I've read in several years. The pictures, footnotes, and additional sections are all excellent. The first part (Ponzi's original autobiography) is like discovering some lost masterpiece that lulls you into thinking of him as this great guy that just got screwed by the system - but the extra sections reveal lots of extra information about a much wider 'conspiracy' among the early American bankers. The entire book reads like a mafia crime novel until you realize that it's all real, and then you just feel a little scared.

It should really be made into a movie. That is all I have to say.

This book surprised me. I thought it was a lark by Despair.com as a joke.

But the writing pulled me into a story of an amazing man, Charles Ponzi.

He certainly lived large even though he was short. His story is funny

and sad, because he tried to take on the establishment and got crushed.

This book will challenge your thinking about banking and how it runs our country.

Very relevant today.