1929 : The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History

In 1929, the world watched in shock as the unstoppable Wall Street bull market went into a freefall, wiping out fortunes and igniting a depression that would reshape a generation. But behind the flashing ticker tapes and panicked traders, another drama unfolded-one of visionaries and fraudsters, titans and dreamers, euphoria and ruin. With unparalleled access to historical records and newly uncovered documents, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin takes readers inside the chaos of the crash, behind the scenes of a raging battle between Wall Street and Washington and the larger-than-life characters whose ambition and naivety in an endless boom led to wreckage. The dizzying highs and brutal lows of this era eerily mirror today’s world-where markets soar, political tensions mount, and the fight over financial influence plays out once again. This is not just a story about money. 1929 is a tale of power, psychology, and the seductive illusion that \”this time is different.\” It’s about disregarded alarm bells, financiers who fell from grace, and skeptics who saw the crash coming-only to be dismissed until it was too late. Hailed as a landmark book, Too Big to Fail reimagined how financial crises are told. Now, with 1929, Sorkin delivers an immersive, electrifying account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time-with lessons that remain as urgent as ever. More than just a history, 1929 is a crucial blueprint for understanding the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheaval, and the warning signs we ignore at our peril.

Andrew Ross Sorkin

Andrew Ross Sorkin is an assistant editor of business and finance news at The New York Times. He is also The New York Times chief mergers and acquisitions reporter and a columnist and the editor of DealBook an online daily financial report. Sorkin is a graduate of Cornell University. Too Big to Fail: How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System – and Themselves is Sorkin’s first book. Sorkin has appeared on NBC’s “Today” show and on “Charlie Rose” on PBS, and is a frequent guest host of CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” He’s won a Gerald Loeb Award in 2004, a Society of American Business Editors and Writers Award in 2005 and in 2006. In 2007, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader. He was also named to the Directorship 100, a list of the most influential people on the nation’s board of directors. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Sorkin and his wife live in Manhattan.