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Wall Street Stories
“Lefèvre provided me with a goal when I wrote my first Market Wizards book… to write a book that would emulate the spirit of Lefèvre's work in maintaining truth and relevance many years after it was written.”
-from the Foreword by Jack Schwager The book that launched Edwin Lefèvre's literary career, Wall Street Stories is considered by many to be his most memorable work, second only to Reminiscences of a Stock Operator , his classic fictionalization of the life of Jesse Livermore. Published to great critical acclaim in 1901, Wall Street Stories is a literary romp through the habits and customs of Wall Street. Like all of Lefèvre's fiction it is firmly rooted in the facts as he knew them both as a top financial journalist and a successful investor, and, as was his style, many of the fictional characters in the stories are thinly-veiled portraits of well-known Wall Street personalities such as James R. Keene, Elverton R. Chapman, Roswell Pettibone Flower, and Daniel Drew-names as familiar to the public in their day as Warren Buffet, George Soros, and Julian Robertson are today. But the charm of the eight tales in Wall Street Stories isn't just in their ability to convey a sense of life in a bygone era. It comes from the timeless insights they offer into human nature warped in the crucible of the stock market. Each of these witty tales of still resonate with poignancy and simple authority.
-from the Foreword by Jack Schwager The book that launched Edwin Lefèvre's literary career, Wall Street Stories is considered by many to be his most memorable work, second only to Reminiscences of a Stock Operator , his classic fictionalization of the life of Jesse Livermore. Published to great critical acclaim in 1901, Wall Street Stories is a literary romp through the habits and customs of Wall Street. Like all of Lefèvre's fiction it is firmly rooted in the facts as he knew them both as a top financial journalist and a successful investor, and, as was his style, many of the fictional characters in the stories are thinly-veiled portraits of well-known Wall Street personalities such as James R. Keene, Elverton R. Chapman, Roswell Pettibone Flower, and Daniel Drew-names as familiar to the public in their day as Warren Buffet, George Soros, and Julian Robertson are today. But the charm of the eight tales in Wall Street Stories isn't just in their ability to convey a sense of life in a bygone era. It comes from the timeless insights they offer into human nature warped in the crucible of the stock market. Each of these witty tales of still resonate with poignancy and simple authority.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1901
19 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Edwin Lefèvre
54 books81 followersEdwin Lefèvre (1871–1943) was an American journalist, writer, and statesman most noted for his writings on Wall Street.
George Edwin Henry Lefèvre was born in Colón, Colombia (now Republic of Panama). His father had sent Edwin to the United States when he was a boy and he was educated at Lehigh University where he received training as a mining engineer. However, at the age of nineteen, he began his career as a journalist and eventually became a stockbroker, as well.
During the 1909–1913 presidency of William Howard Taft, Lefèvre served as ambassador to a number of countries including Italy, Spain, and France. Lefevre did work as a broker on Wall Street and was the financial writer for the New York Sun newspaper. He later returned to his home in Vermont where he resumed his literary work, providing short stories for magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and writing novels.
George Edwin Henry Lefèvre was born in Colón, Colombia (now Republic of Panama). His father had sent Edwin to the United States when he was a boy and he was educated at Lehigh University where he received training as a mining engineer. However, at the age of nineteen, he began his career as a journalist and eventually became a stockbroker, as well.
During the 1909–1913 presidency of William Howard Taft, Lefèvre served as ambassador to a number of countries including Italy, Spain, and France. Lefevre did work as a broker on Wall Street and was the financial writer for the New York Sun newspaper. He later returned to his home in Vermont where he resumed his literary work, providing short stories for magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and writing novels.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 5, 2021
If you are interested in Market Manipulation the old school way, read the "The break in Turpentine" part of the book.
And from the "The man who won"
“start the movement by selling 10,000 shares of Iowa Midland. Divide it up among the boys on the floor. It would be well if the room were frightened by the selling. It is more important for us to get the price down than to put out shorts at high figures. I want that stock down.” If he had merely desired to sell the stock “short” he would have gone about it carefully, to disturb the price as little as possible.
The rest is good written stories about what was going on 100 years ago, but nothing special.
And from the "The man who won"
“start the movement by selling 10,000 shares of Iowa Midland. Divide it up among the boys on the floor. It would be well if the room were frightened by the selling. It is more important for us to get the price down than to put out shorts at high figures. I want that stock down.” If he had merely desired to sell the stock “short” he would have gone about it carefully, to disturb the price as little as possible.
The rest is good written stories about what was going on 100 years ago, but nothing special.
December 26, 2021
Very light book, interesting stories showing how the psychology of trading and the acompanying emotions are still the same, even after a century, where we have a completely different technology, economic situation and cycles
October 11, 2025
Простенькие истории с Уолл-стрит начала 20-го века. Они не привязаны к историческим глобальным событиям, больше про личные победы и поражения. Читать можно только от скуки, в перерывах между чем-то, не советую.
December 28, 2019
one of the most narratives and light reads about investing that I've came across. It has at the same time real informative and practical value
August 17, 2025
Well written. I've worked in the trading business years ago. Some of these stories are pretty true, others a bit stretched.
October 13, 2008
Classic book written in the teens and twenties of the 20th century about Wall Street. Has many lessons for today and shows that even with the advent of computers and technology, trading psychology is still the same. And so are some of the tricks to take your money. A quick read with one short story per chapter.
July 24, 2010
Достаточно интересно, конечно, с точки зрения психологии. Но не покидает ощущение художественности, некоей наигранности историй.
May 22, 2013
Wonderful book about Stock market in true sense but very good fictionalized book as well.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews