The 1929 Stock Market Crash

This book provides a narrative non-fiction account of the 1929 stock market crash, moving beyond simple economic statistics to explore the human drama, ego, and systemic failures that triggered the Great Depression. It reconstructs the crisis moment-by-moment through the eyes of the era's most powerful figures, from the boundless optimism of "Sunshine Charlie" Mitchell to the cautious diplomacy of Thomas Lamont and the stoic struggle of President Herbert Hoover.
The narrative traces the trajectory of the "Roaring Twenties," an era defined by revolutionary technology, easy credit, and a national delusion that "this time is different". It details how financial innovation, unchecked speculation, and outright fraud culminated in the catastrophic events of Black Thursday and Black Tuesday. Ultimately, the work examines the enduring psychological scars left on the American psyche and the sweeping regulatory reforms—such as the Glass-Steagall Act and the creation of the SEC—that fundamentally reshaped the relationship between Wall Street and Washington.