Curbstone Brokers: The Origins of the American Stock Exchange

by Robert Sobel

Analyzes the practices of the outdoor securities market of lower Manhattan from the late 18th century to 1921 and shows the impact of government investigation and legislation on Wall Street.

Genres: Finance

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Robert Sobel was an American professor of history at Hofstra University, and a well-known and prolific writer of business histories. He was also a chess Master, who represented the United States at the 1957 and 1958 Student chess Olympiads; he defeated thirteen-year-old future World Champion Bobby Fischer at Montreal 1956.

Despite his prolific writings in business history, he is most famous for his single novel, For Want of a Nail, an alternate history of the United States.