Fraser, historian and author, reviews the complicated love-hate relationship between Americans and the financial markets by using Wall Street as the symbol of money and its power. By identifying four personality types that reappear throughout history, he explores more than 200 years of struggle between wealth and work, democracy and elitism, and greed and salvation. These types include the “pretentious aristocrat,” from the 1792 speculator who was jailed for causing the first crash, to Michael Milken, who was jailed in the 1980s for speculation in junk bonds. Fraser’s “wily confidence-man” category with numerous names tells us that such individuals are ever present in a market society. The “imperial heroes” include Cornelius Vanderbilt and “Jubilee Jim” Fisk—the latter identified as “the Donald Trump of the nineteenth century.” The “immoralist,” the sinner category, includes the Gilded Age’s Jay Gould and the “cascade of financial scandals beginning with Enron.” This is an excellent book that traces the history of Wall Street through those who shaped it, for better or for worse. --Mary Whaley
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
“In this age of agitated amnesiacs, Americans have forgotten that nothing is new – that in other times money and power were forged into a conspiracy against the public. Steve Fraser connects vividly to that past, reminding us that this present financial crisis is not the first time our hearts have been broken by Wall Street peddlers of the American Dream.” – Bill Moyers
(Bill Moyers 20080501)
"This book is written with Fraser’s customary panache and scrupulous attention to detail. If you’re after a fascinating take on one of our ultimate icons, this is it.”—Mike Wallace, John Jay College (CUNY), co-author of Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898
(Mike Wallace 20080420)
"Provides a rich historical context from which to reflect on the purpose and morality of our financial markets."—Robert Shiller, author of Irrational Exuberance
(Robert Shiller 20080301)
"I don''t know of a better book about Wall Street''s hold on the American imagination. Were it to be listed as a stock on the New York exchange, I''d bet on the quadrupling of its price in the first day''s trading."—Lewis Lapham
(Lewis Lapham 20080813)
"Fraser is almost lyrical as he weaves together his tale of how the image of Wall Street fits into American culture and mythology. . . . His book is . . . recommended for larger business collections in both public and academic libraries."—Library Journal
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Library Journal 20080420)
"Fraser . . . reviews the complictaed love-hate relationship between Americans and the financial markets by using Wall Street as the symbol of money and its power. . . . This is an excellent book that traces the history of Wall Street through those who shaped it, for better or for worse."—Booklist
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Booklist 20080813)
"The history of American attitudes toward the financiers of Wall Street, as shown in newspapers, novels and prosecutions, is the subject of Fraser''s book. It''s a remarkable tale, not just for the plain facts of what they did but also for the dramatic swings in their image. Were they heroes or con men, aristocrats or immoral scoundrels? It depended on the era, and to some extent on whether their successes seemed to be enriching the rest of us."—Floyd Norris, New York Times Book Review
(Floyd Norris
New York Times Book Review 20080415)
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http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/podcast/Addendum_Fraser.mp3 20081013)
"Wall Street is the fabled heart of American capitalism. And according to historian and author Steve Fraser, four metaphorical images are central to the Wall Street mystique: The Aristocrat, The Confidence Man, The Hero, and The Immoralist. In his delightfully written, sweeping history Wall Street, he shows how those four types have continually appeared and re-appeared throughout U.S. stock market and business history, as citizens react to the ups and downs of the business cycles and the towering figures who dominated each era."—David D''Alessandro, Toronto Globe & Mail
(David D'Alessandro
Toronto Globe & Mail 20081001)
"The history of American attitudes toward the financiers of Wall Street . . . [is] a remarkable tale. . . . Were they heroes or con men, aristocrats or immoral scoundrels?"—Floyd Norris, New York Times Book Review
(Floyd Norris
New York Times Book Review )
"In his delightfully written, sweeping history Wall Street, [Fraser] shows how . . . citizens react to the ups and downs of the business cycles and the towering figures who dominated each era."—David D''Alessandro, Toronto Globe & Mail
(David D'Alessandro
Toronto Globe & Mail )
"Fraser is almost lyrical as he weaves together his tale of how the image of Wall Street fits into American culture and mythology."—Library Journal
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Library Journal )
“Fraser is the foremost chronicler of the nation''s love-hate, codependent relationship with Wall Street.”—Greg Burns,
Chicago Tribune
(Greg Burns
Chicago Tribune )
“This interesting history . . . will appeal to anyone interested in financial history or the development of Wall Street. . . . Recommended. All collections.”—Choice
(
Choice )
