Synopses & Reviews
Over six months on the New York Times bestseller list, Barbarians at the Gate is the definitive account of the largest takeover in Wall Street history. Bryan Burrough and John Helyar's gripping record of the frenzy that overtook Wall Street in October and November of 1988 is the story of deal makers and pulicity flaks, of strategy meetings and society dinners, of boardrooms and bedrooms, giving us not only an unprecedentedly detailed look at how financial operations at the highest levels are conducted but also a richly textured social history of wealth at the twilight of the Reagan era. As compelling as a novel, Barbarians at the Gate is must reading for everyone interested in the way today's world really works.
Review
“Its hard to imagine a better story...and its hard to imagine a better account” Chicago Tribune
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“A superlative book...steadily builds suspense until the very end.” Los Angeles Times Book Review
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“The fascinating inside story of the largest corporate takeover in American history… It reads like a novel.” Today Show
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“The most piercing and compelling narrative of a deal to date.” Boston Globe
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“Impressive qualities... delicious scenes... a cinematic yet extraordinarily careful book.” Ken Auletta, New York Daily News
Synopsis
“One of the finest, most compelling accounts of what happened to corporate America and Wall Street in the 1980s.”
—New York Times Book Review
A #1 New York Times bestseller and arguably the best business narrative ever written, Barbarians at the Gate is the classic account of the fall of RJR Nabisco. An enduring masterpiece of investigative journalism by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, it includes a new afterword by the authors that brings this remarkable story of greed and double-dealings up to date twenty years after the famed deal. The Los Angeles Times calls Barbarians at the Gate, “Superlative.” The Chicago Tribune raves, “Its hard to imagine a better story...and its hard to imagine a better account.” And in an era of spectacular business crashes and federal bailouts, it still stands as a valuable cautionary tale that must be heeded.
About the Author
Bryan Burrough is a special correspondent at
Vanity Fair and the author of five books.
John Helyar is a columnist for Bloomberg News. He previously wrote for the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and ESPN, and is the author of Lords of the Realm: The Real History of Baseball.