Product Description

'Absorbing [and] provocative, not least because it is still relevant.'

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #688 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 576 pages

Review
`Highly readable ... [Ahamed] cannot have foreseen how timely his book would be.' --Niall Ferguson, FT

'Superlative ... a subject of real fascination ... Lords of Finance has the flair and wisdom to find a wide readership on the strength of its main ideas.' --New York Times

Review
`Fascinating ... a brisk, original, incisive and entertaining account of a crucial time in the world's economic history that continues to affect us all today. Anyone who wants to understand the origins of the economic world we live in would do well to read this book'

Review
`A great read.'

Customer Reviews

Masterful
This book is an absolute model of economic history writing. It makes its central characters come disarmingly alive, it presents a well structured narrative woven around a cogent core theme, it makes its arguments eloquently and persuasively without getting bogged down in mundane detail, and above all, it will genuinely illuminate the reader not only on the period it is describing but on a vast number of aspects of international economics and finance.

I read this book for a university course covering the Gold Standard era and found it hugely helpful in this regard, but would have absolutely no hesitations in recommending it as a leasure read to anybody with even the remotest interest in the Great Depression, the economic consequences of World War 1, or the lives of statesmen and policy makers during the 1920s and early 30s. These topics are often served bland, but Ahamed's wonderful prose keeps the book consistently engaging and makes it a true literary pleasure.

Gripping account of Depression-era economics
Who knew that a study of central bankers could be a page-turner? Investment manager Liaquat Ahamed spins a fast-moving yarn about central bankers' disastrous monetary policy decisions in the 1920s and early 1930s. The story itself yields little suspense - you already know how it ends, but Ahamed uses thorough research and gripping detail to paint a complete picture of how the world economy collapsed. The Great Depression preceded today's credit default swaps, collateralized mortgage obligations and arcane derivatives, so the book's lessons for the modern crisis are mostly as referential cautions. getAbstract recommends this absorbing book to readers who want a deeper understanding of the gold standard, and the events that led to - and out of - the biggest economic crisis of the 20th century.

We should learn from history so that we don't repeat it
Considering that we are facing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, I think that reading a book like this is extremely helpful. The author did a phenomenal job analyzing the causes of the Great Depression through the lives and actions of four central bankers (Lords of Finance) from the United States, England, France, and Germany. Their decisions not only caused the Great Depression, but also contributed to World War II.

I think it is important to read this book because the author describes similar problems that many other countries are currently experiencing. I wish that our government officials took the time to read this book because if they don't learn from history, they might make these same mistakes, and we are going to pay the price for it.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market