Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
Download to your computer
Kindle Cloud Reader
Facebook Twitter Pinterest <Embed>
Buy New
$11.23
Qty:1
  • List Price: $20.00
  • Save: $8.77 (44%)
FREE Shipping on orders with at least $25 of books.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
The Smartest Guys in the ... has been added to your Cart
Want it tomorrow, April 14? Order within and choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Ship to:
Select a shipping address:
To see addresses, please
or
Please enter a valid US zip code.
or

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more
See all 2 images

The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron Paperback – November 26, 2013

by Bethany McLean (Author),
Peter Elkind (Author)
› Visit Amazon's Peter Elkind Page
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
Are you an author? Learn about Author Central
Peter Elkind (Author), Joe Nocera (Foreword)
4.6 out of 5 stars 59 customer reviews
See all 2 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions
Price
New from Used from
Kindle
"Please retry"
$12.57
— —
Paperback
"Please retry"
$11.23
$10.43 $7.99
Digital Disruption: Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation
Up to 50% off select books
Featured titles are up to 50% off for a limited time. See all titles
$11.23 FREE Shipping on orders with at least $25 of books. In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Frequently Bought Together

  • The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
  • +
  • Liar's Poker (Norton Paperback)
  • +
  • The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Total price: $30.99
Buy the selected items together
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
China
Engineering & Transportation Books
Discover books for all types of engineers, auto enthusiasts, and much more. Learn more

Product Details

  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Portfolio; Reprint edition (November 26, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1591846609
  • ISBN-13: 978-1591846604
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsGood read.
By Brian G. on January 11, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Had read Conspiracy of Fools prior to reading this book. Liked both; Conspiracy of Fools reads like a novel and is highly enjoyable in my opinion. Both books, while telling the same story, present different times and details in ways that the other May have merely touched on. The two books complement each other but certainly are not required to both be read. I gave this book 4 stars because I did have a slight preference for Conspiracy of Fools but I don't regret purchasing this book.
Comment 13 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsEnron looked great, but not after you see what is under the covers
By Fiber Czar Jeff on January 2, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
This is a very informative story about the operation within Enron. It identifies some creative methods of making a company look financially good when it has little cash or assets to support that position. The writers appear to me to be unbiased. They point out that a lot of the financial operations started out legal, but as time went on the executives shifted toward an illegal method. They thought that they were really "the smartest guys in the room" and nobody would ever untangle the web of finances they created. It is amazing how many high level people, including presidents of the United States bought into the story.
If you have an accounting background, you will understand the story better than the average reader. I am an engineer, but I was able to understand the manipulations enough to enjoy reading it. As a result of this scandal, many new regulations were put into effect that are now costing all of us money as the companies must follow them and the government must monitor them.
Comment 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
4.0 out of 5 starsMBAs, CPAs, and JDs Run/Ruin the Show
By Barbara on August 28, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
A very important read for anyone who wonders what's happening to our country. The hubris of the players, MBAs (the "Smart Guys"), in this story defy reality as they game the system while kowtowing to Wall Street and lining their own pockets. They took deregulation of utilities as the kick-off for their schemes by massaging and manipulating the industry and government rules to show Las Vegas, er - Wall Street, their "cooked" bottom lines with creative accounting and approvals or "looking the other way" from their attorneys. The upshots of their playing were higher prices and blackouts for their customers and scamming their own employees. As any member of the working class who cannot afford tax accountants and attorneys can testify - "The rich get richer, the poor get assistance, and the working slobs get stiffed." Like "Free Lunch", this book exposes the criminal and opportunistic side of human nature of those who capitalize on governmental and organizational bureaucracies, leaving our country in its current financial black hole.

My only issue with this well-researched and documented piece was the mind-boggling amount of acronyms and initialed abbreviations used throughout the book, making it difficult to deal with atop of tackling and trying to digest the myriad accounting and legal practices and procedures, i.e., it was a hard read for one who is not a lawyer, CPA, or MBA.
Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
4.0 out of 5 stars10 years after the original edition this new edition still shocks and astonishes
By Sorenche on January 29, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I read the original edition of this book when it was first published and was dazzled by the information Bethany McLean had gathered. One of those rare books that fascinated everyone from accountants to the bewildered members of the public. Compulsively readable.

My original copy had long since disappeared so I decided to buy the updated edition. It's as remarkable on the second reading. A wonderfully detailed tale of corporate greed, cloaked in smoke and mirrors. Very highly recommended.
Comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsPerfect
By STEPHEN DAEDALUS on March 4, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Bethany McLean, from northern Minnesota, was the only guy in the room paying attention during ENRON and during the Wall Street financial crisis.

We should replace all of us guys with women like her: the world would be so much better.

Great copy, perfect service.
Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
4.0 out of 5 starsAmazing story of corporate greed told in great detail
By tdlite on November 15, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
This book is an excellent read on corporate culture in America and a useful primer of the dangers of GAAP accounting practices like mark to market pricing of assets. This book tells a fascinating tale of the characters who first built and then ultimately destroyed Enron, taking $38B of investor money with them in the process. The book does get slow at times, and the level of detail requires patience and frequent page flips to keep straight.
Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsFor you non fiction readers, I could not put ...
By Evan on March 19, 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
For you non fiction readers, I could not put it down. Very well written, exciting, detailed, factual. Saddening considering thousands lost their life savings through the funds that were invested in ENRON. Greed, arrogance, title is so ironic.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsThe harder they fall.
By Dave Pfeiffer on October 12, 2015
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This is a real page turner. It answers the question: Why do we enjoy so much stories about high flying business types who crash and burn by their own hubris and greed? The ancient Greeks enjoyed plays about otherwise good men who are brought down by their own flaws. Perhaps this is a latter day Greek tragedy.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsEnron explained

If you want to completely understand what the Enron ollapse was all about, this is the book. Complicated business and accounting procedures explained in plain language anybody can... Read more

Published 16 hours ago by Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars$ lost or wasted, and a few public quotes

Decent book but it could have used some personal stories. Mainly details of prices paid, $ lost or wasted, and a few public quotes.

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

good read - excellent detail

Published 2 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsA Brief History of Greed & Illusion

When a true story holds you spell-bound over so many pages of intricate detail, you know you are into a great book. Read more

Published 3 months ago by The Trader
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is the best business book I have ever read

This is the best business book I have ever read. The authors go into detail about what Enron was, how they made money (and later hid the fact that they didn't), and how the... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Ellington
5.0 out of 5 starsCorporate greed and stunning incompetence laid bare

A must read for anybody interested in corporate culture and the true behind the scenes environment of corporate America and the Wall Street enablers that allow such events to take... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Heiko Jonkers
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Well done. Suited my interest.

Published 6 months ago by Steve
3.0 out of 5 starsGood read

Pretty good read. As a former Big 6 auditor it answered most of my burning accounting nerd questions.

Published 6 months ago by Gary Webb
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Excellent

Published 7 months ago by Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

swift service! great

Published 7 months ago by kitale

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more
This item: The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
Set up a giveaway

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.