Synopses & Reviews
Americans have experienced a love-hate relationship with Wall Street for two hundred years. Long an object of suspicion, fear, and even revulsion, the Street eventually came to be seen as an alluring pathway to wealth and freedom. Steve Fraser tells the story of this remarkable transformation in a brilliant, masterfully written narrative filled with colorful tales of confidence men and aristocrats, Napoleonic financiers and reckless adventurers, master builders and roguish destroyers. Penetrating and engrossing, this is an extraordinary work of history that illuminates the values and the character of our nation.
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“Comprehensive, considered, and literate: a real accomplishment.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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“Fraser gives a thorough analysis of this scandal-ridden menagerie as reflected in books, movies, and the political arena.” Booklist (starred review)
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“Written with verve and passion. . . . offers a remarkable array of insights into the history of American capitalism.” Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History, Columbia University
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“Big, boisterous, biting, and brilliant. . . . both page-turner and scholarly tour de force.” Walter A. McDougall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Freedom Just Around the Corner
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“Remarkable. . . . Fraser tells the tale in high style.” Sean Wilentz, Dayton-Stockton Professor of History, Princeton University
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“Should be widely read by scholars, students, and anyone interested in Americas ambivalent relationship with big business and big finance.” David Nasaw, author of The Chief
Synopsis
Americans have enjoyed a love-hate relationship with Wall Street for more than two hundred years. Long an object of suspicion and even fear, the stock market eventually came to be seen as an easy path to wealth. Steve Fraser examines the history of this powerful force that has had so much impact on the economy, politics and culture of the United States.
The ethos of Wall Street contradicts that of American society in several ways: in a culture dedicated to hard work, it offers the possibility of instant, easy wealth, and the social hierarchy it supports clashes with the egalitarianism of a democratic society. Nevertheless, stocks and bonds have increasingly become accepted as a logical investment option. Breathtaking in its scope, Every Man a Speculator is nothing less than a history of capitalism in America.
Steve Fraser is the author of Labor Will Rule: Sidney Hillman and the Rise of American Labor, a winner of the Phillip Taft Prize for the best book in labor history, as well as the co-editor of The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Nation, The American Prospect, Raritan, and Dissent. He received his Ph.D. in American History from Rutgers University. He lives in New York.
"An illuminating tour of how the United States has perceived its financial center over two centuries ... Fraser's prose is elegant, and his eye for historical detail is keen, carrying the reader through the many sagas that he entertainingly recounts." -- Washington Post
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
About the Author
Steve Fraser is the author of Labor Will Rule: Sidney Hillman and the Rise of American Labor, which won the Philip Taft Prize for the best book in labor history. He is also the co-editor of The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order. He received his Ph.D. in American history from Rutgers University, and his work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Nation, the American Prospect, Raritan, and Dissent. He lives in New York City.