The Great Crash 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Galbraith’s account of the 1929 crash of Wall Street tells many tales of those who gambled and lost again and again and again. The book lays out his view of the entire history which lines better with known facts than what is usually presented.

Galbraith starts with an overview that helps coordinate the rest of the book. The rest follows in mostly a linear history of the before, during and after. The book is well written, which can help those not knowing much about the whole financial world find the story easy to understand. This is actually a very complex happening that Galbraith does an excellent job of presenting. There is only one point near the end, as Galbraith is trying to make a point about the financial outcome of the crash that he gets a bit bogged down.

Overall, this is a dynamic book that sharply presents a complex tale in a very readable volume

About Florida: Here Galbraith backs so much I’ve read that Florida contributed mightily to the eventual crash with all of the real estate schemes that were happening at the time.

About this edition: When i picked up this book the cover was already a bit chipped away. As was a bit of the back cover. After purchasing and taking to the car, i pulled it from the book of books and parts of the cover came apart. Soon the whole cover had come to pieces. Apparently Time Magazine published this 54 years ago. Somehow this book stayed together until I pulled it from the shelf. All I can figure is that the Florida heat and humidity and air conditioning of the store got hold of the brittle board cover and back cover. The attached photo I took of the book cover is the best i could do to present it. I couldn’t scan the cover due to how it came apart.

Bottom line: i recommend the book. Ten out of Ten points.

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