100 Years of Wall Street [Paperback]

Charles R. Geisst (Author), Richard A. Grasso (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 20, 2000

There is probably no other "street" in the world that is as influential as Wall Street. From robber barons to money trusts; the Depression to the great 1950s bull market; increased government regulation and war to the ongoing 1990s boom; from insider trading and fraud to antitrust suits; from J.P. Morgan, Michael Milken, Ivan Boetsky to Bill Gates, Wall Street is a site of history-making events and unforgettable figures. This book gives a decade-by-decade, pictorial eyewitness account of Wall Street's past, its people and events throughout the 20th century.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In 100 Years of Wall Street, Charles Geisst (author of Wall Street: A History) takes us on a tour of one of America's most storied institutions. From the early bucket shops at the turn of the century to Maria Bartiromo of CNBC, Geisst, with the help of a collection of pictures, charts, cartoons, and stock certificates presents an entertaining look at the remarkable changes that have transformed this small corner of New York into the cornerstone of the world's financial markets. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

'Either of these two attractive, slightly oversize volumes could be suitably displayed by anyone fascinated by the worlds of business and investing. Moreover, these two books will be an absolute necessity for library reference shelves.' 'Filled with more than 150 photographs and illustrations interspersed with quotes and anecdotes and colorful storytelling, Geisst's chronology vividly captures Wall Street's most recent 100 years.' (Booklist ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (December 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071373527
• ISBN-13: 978-0071373524
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #512,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles R. Geisst has written eighteen books on finance and economics, which have been translated into eight languages. His books have been on the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and New York Times best-seller lists. Geisst is a frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, where he is valued for his opinions on finance and business. He holds the Ambassador Charles A. Gargano Chair in Global Economics at Manhattan College.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and interesting, July 5, 2001

By 

BeachReader (Delaware) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 100 Years of Wall Street (Hardcover)

This book, rich with wonderful old photos, gives a concise history of the last 100 years of the financial culture that has come to be known as Wall Street. A good blend of text, photos, and charts make this book interesting to the non-financial reader.

The author divided the book into decades and each chapter outlined the changes that occurred over those years.

At the beginning of the last century, Wall Street was known for its lack of financial regulation regarding trades. Scandals and outright swindles abounded. Four years after the Crash of 1929, FDR's administration passed nationwide banking and securities laws to make sure that this kind of disaster did not happen again.

Unfortunately, the real and distasteful inner workings of Wall Street were revealed in the Senate hearings. An SEC commissioner called investment bankers "financial termites". This knowledge scared investors away for the next 20 years.

In the early 50s, investing became popular with middle class investors for the first time in a generation, and mutual funds were developed after being gone for 30 years.

The 60s brought the birth of the modern mergers and acquisitions business in the U.S, and the days of small brokerage firms were coming to an end.

The 70s brought extensive reforms concerning commissions while the 80s were the years of junk bonds, insider trading scandals, and the savings and loan crisis.

The author called the 80s the decade of greed and the 90s the decade of boom. The Internet has brought about a totally new way of trading stocks and has made up-to-the-minute financial news available to everyone.

The changes in the last 100 years on Wall Street have been phenomenal, mirroring the technological changes in our society.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful!, February 16, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 100 Years of Wall Street (Hardcover)

Charles R. Geisst's enjoyable book chronicles Wall Street in the twentieth century. He effectively captures the feel of the various boom and bust periods. The clear, informative text is supplemented with incredible black and white photographs of each period's key events and people, making it very evocative and intriguing. We at ... recommend this book to anyone - not only someone in business - who wants to learn about Wall Street's history. It would make a great gift for anyone who works in the financial industry or for a young person who is interested in how money works.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wall Street: The Street Worth Billions, April 30, 2000

By 

Ariq Huda - See all my reviews

This review is from: 100 Years of Wall Street (Hardcover)

100 Years of Wall Street is one of the greatest books ever written. Its in depth analysis of the history of Wall Street is remarkable. It is an essential to anyone that is learning more about investments, yet it is still quite enjoyable without knowing anything about the subject. This is truly a remarkable read, and I would recommend it with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back!