In this unique, well-illustrated book, readers learn how fifty financial corporations came to dominate the U.S. banking system and their impact on the nation's

A revealing examination of the often misunderstood history of contemporary financial markets.

By the early twentieth century, it became common to describe the United States as a "business civilization." President Coolidge in 1925 said, "The chief busines

Since the 1960s, scholars and other commentators have frequently announced the imminent decline of American financial power: excessive speculation and debt are

Introduction -- Market reports -- Reading the ticker tape -- Picturing the market -- Confidence games and inside information -- Conspiracy and the invisible han