Dream Road -- A Hundred Years of Pioneering on Wall Street

Author: [US] Walter Isaacson
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This is a skillfully written and smoothly narrated history of Wall Street, covering its birth to its early adulthood. Rich in content and sharp in insight, it vividly portrays the individuals and powerful forces that shaped the modern global financial center for both general readers and experts. We always hear its name, but what exactly is Wall Street? The Dream Palace tells us the answer: why it is important, how it affects us, and why it has remained so influential. Walter Isaacson ingeniously and masterfully gathers all the material together, making it captivating. Wall Street, as the most famous street in the United States, is intricately linked to American history, the development of capitalism, and the ups and downs of financial markets—it has no equal and no other place has given birth to such myths or so many dreams and aspirations. This book, based on original archival research and rich historical photographs, provides a best-selling history of a great American symbol, while also offering a critical evaluation of Wall Street's role in the political, economic, and cultural development of the United States. Author Walter Isaacson captures the key figures who shaped the early development of Wall Street—not only the well-known personalities but also the less celebrated ordinary people. He traces the broader social development and its own objective structural evolution; he focuses on the New York Stock Exchange, the most important institution on Wall Street, but does not overlook the histories of other banks and exchanges. He explores the ways Wall Street influences politics and how it, in turn, is influenced by stronger political forces. He also analyzes the complex relationship between Wall Street and two other streets—Pennsylvania Avenue and Central Street—which represent the power of the U.S. government and its people.