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The Go-Go Years: The Drama and Crashing Finale of Wall Street's Bullish 60's
The Go-Go Years
"The Go-Go Years is not to be read in the usual manner ofWall Street classics. You do not read this book to see our presentsituation reenacted in the past, with only the names changed. Youread it because it is a wonderful description of the way thingswere in a different time and place."
--From the Foreword by Michael Lewis
The Go-Go Years is the harrowing and humorous story ofthe growth stocks of the 1960s and how their meteoric rise caused amultitude of small investors to thrive until the devastating marketcrashes in the 1970s. It was a time when greed drove the market andfast money was being made and lost as the "go-go" stocks surged andplunged. Included are the stories of such high-profilepersonalities as H. Ross Perot who lost $450 million in one day,Saul Steinberg's attempt to take over Chemical Bank, and the fallof America's "Last Gatsby," Eddie Gilbert.
Praise for The Go-Go Years
"Those for whom the stock market is mostly a spectator sportwill relish the book's verve, color, and memorableone-liners."
--New York Review of Books
"Please don't take The Go-Go Years too much for granted:as effortlessly as it seems to fly, it is nonetheless an unusuallycomplex and thoughtful work of social history."
--New York Times
"Brooks's great contribution is his synthesis of all theelements that made the 1960s the most volatile in Wall Streethistory . and making so much material easily digestible for theuninitiated."
--Publishers Weekly
"Brooks ... is about the only writer around who combines athorough knowledge of finance with the ability to perceive behindthe dance of numbers 'high, pure, moral melodrama on the themes ofpossession, domination, and belonging.'"
--Time
"The Go-Go Years is not to be read in the usual manner ofWall Street classics. You do not read this book to see our presentsituation reenacted in the past, with only the names changed. Youread it because it is a wonderful description of the way thingswere in a different time and place."
--From the Foreword by Michael Lewis
The Go-Go Years is the harrowing and humorous story ofthe growth stocks of the 1960s and how their meteoric rise caused amultitude of small investors to thrive until the devastating marketcrashes in the 1970s. It was a time when greed drove the market andfast money was being made and lost as the "go-go" stocks surged andplunged. Included are the stories of such high-profilepersonalities as H. Ross Perot who lost $450 million in one day,Saul Steinberg's attempt to take over Chemical Bank, and the fallof America's "Last Gatsby," Eddie Gilbert.
Praise for The Go-Go Years
"Those for whom the stock market is mostly a spectator sportwill relish the book's verve, color, and memorableone-liners."
--New York Review of Books
"Please don't take The Go-Go Years too much for granted:as effortlessly as it seems to fly, it is nonetheless an unusuallycomplex and thoughtful work of social history."
--New York Times
"Brooks's great contribution is his synthesis of all theelements that made the 1960s the most volatile in Wall Streethistory . and making so much material easily digestible for theuninitiated."
--Publishers Weekly
"Brooks ... is about the only writer around who combines athorough knowledge of finance with the ability to perceive behindthe dance of numbers 'high, pure, moral melodrama on the themes ofpossession, domination, and belonging.'"
--Time
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
83 people are currently reading
1186 people want to read
About the author
John Brooks
256 books236 followersJohn Brooks (1920–1993) was an award-winning writer best known for his contributions to the New Yorker as a financial journalist. He was also the author of ten nonfiction books on business and finance, a number of which were critically acclaimed works examining Wall Street and the corporate world. His books Once inGolconda, The Go-Go Years, and Business Adventures have endured as classics. Although he is remembered primarily for his writings on financial topics, Brooks published three novels and wrote book reviews for Harper’s Magazine and the New York Times Book Review.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 2, 2016
This book was written in early 70ies and while having better parts, feels inadequate in our days.
In financial history books I personally expect to read stories that are backed with plenty of facts, revealing exact cause/effect relationships (as being written in hindsight) and be entertaining, at least to some degree.
This book is mostly boring to read: little of financial/market background is presented, chapters are full of political side-stories and overall the purpose of the book seems to be moralisation and condemning involved actors, not a depiction of financial history (as title would suggest).
In financial history books I personally expect to read stories that are backed with plenty of facts, revealing exact cause/effect relationships (as being written in hindsight) and be entertaining, at least to some degree.
This book is mostly boring to read: little of financial/market background is presented, chapters are full of political side-stories and overall the purpose of the book seems to be moralisation and condemning involved actors, not a depiction of financial history (as title would suggest).
May 22, 2015
The Go-Go Years is a must read/listen for my financial friends. The historical aspects are in play today as they were then. On Warren Buffett's recommended reading list given out at this year's Berkshire Annual meeting I found it riveting, detailed, and useful. I highly recommend it!
December 5, 2020
I liked this much better than Business Adventures. In this book, the writing was fun and clever. I had to share quotes because the metaphors and analogies were hilarious. In my opinion, the sixties seem to rhyme with where we are now (history doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme). The SEC was lax because people were making money (the SEC is lax today because people are making money). The brokers were making bank because of fixed commissions and record volume (brokers now make money by selling retail investor order flow). Accounting shenanigans were common place, and despite having occurred in the past, similar shenanigans are utilized. Conglomerates were a thing because of manipulating how investors used P/E ratios to invest. Today, companies report profitability using all kinds of weird non-GAAP metrics (e.g., community-adjusted EBITA).
Michael Lewis wrote the forward, and it is fitting, because the writing reminded me of Lewis - it was fun and concepts were explained well.
Some Quotes:
"Before the crash in 1929 the financial sages had insisted repeatedly that there couldn’t be another panic like that of 1907 because of the protective role of the Federal Reserve System; before the crash of 1969–70 a later generation observed repeatedly that there couldn’t be another panic like that of 1929 because of the protective role of the Federal Reserve System and the Securities and Exchange Commission."
- LOL (ring a bell with today's market)
"the rising national economic crisis culminating in a day when the dollar was unredeemable in Paris, the Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy assassinations, the shame of the Chicago Democratic convention, the rising tempo of student riots—the silly market had gone its merry way, heedlessly soaring upward as if everything were O.K. or would surely come out O.K., as mindlessly, maniacally euphoric as a Japanese beetle in July. Or as a doomed man enjoying his last meal. One could only ask: Did Wall Street, for all its gutter shrewdness, have the slightest idea what was really going on?"
- this resonated because we are at all time highs in the market despite a pandemic that was wrecked economies worldwide
"If the role of the specialist seemed to make a particular and perhaps even an unreasonable call for men of good character, this call was not always answered."
- LOL
"In 1951 he made the familiar switch from low-paid government work to high-paid private-industry work that has been the bane of the S.E.C. from its beginnings, constantly draining it of talent."
- still a problem
"At all events, the report as finally published did not seem to be a triumph of logical thought... Essentially, what it said was that if a few insiders with a definable advantage over everybody else were to be ruled out of the stock-market game, the interests of everybody else would be irreparably harmed. It sounded like Alice Through the Looking Glass."
- LOL
"It was the sort of assumption that is widely made only in times when people have taken leave of their senses."
- LOL
"Conglomerates, like prostitutes, had from the first a sufficiently shaky moral reputation to call for the use of euphemism."
- LOL
"There is, on the face of it, no basic reason for believing that a man who can successfully run an ice cream business should not be able to successfully run an ice-cream-and-cement business, or even an ice-cream-cement-and-flagpole business. On the other hand, there is no reason for believing that he should be able to do so."
- LOL
"In February, the opposition continued. And so did the rise in both trading volume and the level of fails. The early closings appeared to be having little if any effect, and in March they were quietly abandoned, and not replaced by any other restraining action. Would the problem, just possibly, go away? It would not."
- not funny, because too many people hope problems will just disappear
"As a people, we would rather face chaos making potsfull of short-term money than maintain long-term order and sanity by profiting less."
- looking at you Intel
"As we have seen, the S.E.C. in 1969 wished chiefly to serve Wall Street—to avoid rocking the boat at a moment when almost everyone was happily making money."
"If one fact is glaringly clear in stock-market history, it is that a new-issues craze is always the last stage of a dangerous boom—a warning of impending disaster almost as infallible as Cheyne-Stokes breathing is a warning of impending death."
Michael Lewis wrote the forward, and it is fitting, because the writing reminded me of Lewis - it was fun and concepts were explained well.
Some Quotes:
"Before the crash in 1929 the financial sages had insisted repeatedly that there couldn’t be another panic like that of 1907 because of the protective role of the Federal Reserve System; before the crash of 1969–70 a later generation observed repeatedly that there couldn’t be another panic like that of 1929 because of the protective role of the Federal Reserve System and the Securities and Exchange Commission."
- LOL (ring a bell with today's market)
"the rising national economic crisis culminating in a day when the dollar was unredeemable in Paris, the Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy assassinations, the shame of the Chicago Democratic convention, the rising tempo of student riots—the silly market had gone its merry way, heedlessly soaring upward as if everything were O.K. or would surely come out O.K., as mindlessly, maniacally euphoric as a Japanese beetle in July. Or as a doomed man enjoying his last meal. One could only ask: Did Wall Street, for all its gutter shrewdness, have the slightest idea what was really going on?"
- this resonated because we are at all time highs in the market despite a pandemic that was wrecked economies worldwide
"If the role of the specialist seemed to make a particular and perhaps even an unreasonable call for men of good character, this call was not always answered."
- LOL
"In 1951 he made the familiar switch from low-paid government work to high-paid private-industry work that has been the bane of the S.E.C. from its beginnings, constantly draining it of talent."
- still a problem
"At all events, the report as finally published did not seem to be a triumph of logical thought... Essentially, what it said was that if a few insiders with a definable advantage over everybody else were to be ruled out of the stock-market game, the interests of everybody else would be irreparably harmed. It sounded like Alice Through the Looking Glass."
- LOL
"It was the sort of assumption that is widely made only in times when people have taken leave of their senses."
- LOL
"Conglomerates, like prostitutes, had from the first a sufficiently shaky moral reputation to call for the use of euphemism."
- LOL
"There is, on the face of it, no basic reason for believing that a man who can successfully run an ice cream business should not be able to successfully run an ice-cream-and-cement business, or even an ice-cream-cement-and-flagpole business. On the other hand, there is no reason for believing that he should be able to do so."
- LOL
"In February, the opposition continued. And so did the rise in both trading volume and the level of fails. The early closings appeared to be having little if any effect, and in March they were quietly abandoned, and not replaced by any other restraining action. Would the problem, just possibly, go away? It would not."
- not funny, because too many people hope problems will just disappear
"As a people, we would rather face chaos making potsfull of short-term money than maintain long-term order and sanity by profiting less."
- looking at you Intel
"As we have seen, the S.E.C. in 1969 wished chiefly to serve Wall Street—to avoid rocking the boat at a moment when almost everyone was happily making money."
"If one fact is glaringly clear in stock-market history, it is that a new-issues craze is always the last stage of a dangerous boom—a warning of impending disaster almost as infallible as Cheyne-Stokes breathing is a warning of impending death."
September 15, 2017
Skip it. This was written in 1973 and hasn't been substantially updated. The selected anecdotes may have been especially relevant at that time, but I don't think it has broad appeal/relevance today.
For a book about financial history, there are so many better choices. Three classics that come to mind are:
* Where Are the Customers Yachts
* Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
* Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
For some more recent, but well written examples of financial history, try:
* When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
* Conspiracy of Fools (about Enron)
* Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers
For a book about financial history, there are so many better choices. Three classics that come to mind are:
* Where Are the Customers Yachts
* Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
* Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
For some more recent, but well written examples of financial history, try:
* When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
* Conspiracy of Fools (about Enron)
* Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers
August 18, 2011
A fabulous, almost novelistic treatment of the end of the 1960's go-go market -- a fascinating slice of history for those interested in the 1960's.
January 4, 2018
YOUTH HAD TAKEN OVER ON WALL STREET IN THE LATE 60'S WITH 65% <35 YEARS OLD. BELIEVED THEY COULD UNDERSTAND THE NEWER COMPANIES BETTER.
Gerald Tsia Jr of Fidelity was one of the first fund managers of the go-go era. When he bought something everyone followed.
Tsai left Fidelity to set up Manhattan Fund in 1965. He took in $247m at 0.5% management fee with asset rising to $500m before he sold it for $30m.
From 1966-69 conglomerates flourished. They bought companies on low multiples with their highly priced scrip.
Paperwork was out of control in the late 1960's, with a late % of trades lost so they couldn't settle. Was due to the volumes. Back office employees stole millions.
In 1969 stagflation began to surface and the market fell sharply.
History suggest that a new issues craze is always the last stage of a dangerous boom.
Penn Central Railway Company when bankrupt in 1970.
From December 68 to Mary 70 the DJ fell 36%. The average 68-70 decline of conglomerates was 86%, computer stocks 80% and technology stocks 77%.
Tighter margin requirements than in 1929 (80% versus 10-20% in 1929) helps ensure there wasnt a depression following the market collapse.
The big brokerage houses were too big to go bust in 1970 as it could have led to a crash and everyone pulling their money and securities out of brokerage firms. The Trust Fund, the regulations and Perot didn't let this happen.
Gerald Tsia Jr of Fidelity was one of the first fund managers of the go-go era. When he bought something everyone followed.
Tsai left Fidelity to set up Manhattan Fund in 1965. He took in $247m at 0.5% management fee with asset rising to $500m before he sold it for $30m.
From 1966-69 conglomerates flourished. They bought companies on low multiples with their highly priced scrip.
Paperwork was out of control in the late 1960's, with a late % of trades lost so they couldn't settle. Was due to the volumes. Back office employees stole millions.
In 1969 stagflation began to surface and the market fell sharply.
History suggest that a new issues craze is always the last stage of a dangerous boom.
Penn Central Railway Company when bankrupt in 1970.
From December 68 to Mary 70 the DJ fell 36%. The average 68-70 decline of conglomerates was 86%, computer stocks 80% and technology stocks 77%.
Tighter margin requirements than in 1929 (80% versus 10-20% in 1929) helps ensure there wasnt a depression following the market collapse.
The big brokerage houses were too big to go bust in 1970 as it could have led to a crash and everyone pulling their money and securities out of brokerage firms. The Trust Fund, the regulations and Perot didn't let this happen.
December 28, 2022
What stood out to me in The Go-Go Years was the sheer diversity of 1960s Wall Street—from minimum-wage employees exchanging racial slurs in the back-office “cage” to prissy regulators to brash moneymen to presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, the variety is bewildering. The author contends that Wall Street was a microcosm of America, and that, as financial markets become more regulated and computerized, this curious situation will never recur.
Another takeaway is the whimsical nature of stock markets. The tales of wild price swings, many of them on the flimsiest pretexts, often made me think of Ben Graham’s allegory Mr. Market, a gentleman prone to wild mood swings who pesters investors every day and offers to buy their assets for wildly varying prices. In other words, this book offers an opportunity to look inside Mr. Market’s head.
On the minus side the author’s prose is witty but a little too dense and professorial at times. In particular the long lists of board members and assorted moneymen involved in events back in the 60s and 70s do get a bit annoying.
All things considered, The Go-Go Years is a worthwhile read, not only for its human interest, but also because we’re subject to similar forces—from conflicting interests to bloated expectations and plain greed—and will surely continue to make the same mistakes and indulge in the same follies as before.
Another takeaway is the whimsical nature of stock markets. The tales of wild price swings, many of them on the flimsiest pretexts, often made me think of Ben Graham’s allegory Mr. Market, a gentleman prone to wild mood swings who pesters investors every day and offers to buy their assets for wildly varying prices. In other words, this book offers an opportunity to look inside Mr. Market’s head.
On the minus side the author’s prose is witty but a little too dense and professorial at times. In particular the long lists of board members and assorted moneymen involved in events back in the 60s and 70s do get a bit annoying.
All things considered, The Go-Go Years is a worthwhile read, not only for its human interest, but also because we’re subject to similar forces—from conflicting interests to bloated expectations and plain greed—and will surely continue to make the same mistakes and indulge in the same follies as before.
April 27, 2023
- (80%+ of the book is pure fluff: author loves to dwell on the biography and gossips of irrelevant characters who seemed superficially important. Which makes a book a rather easy page turner - as in, you can skip most of the book without missing anything)
- To sums up: history always repeats itself, and the book like this genre always repeats itself (not saying this in a negative tune, but rather a positive tune since it's comforting to know humans never change and you can apply the old lesson over and over again)
- The Go-Go eras of 60s began with a small pop in stock, then a mild decline, followed by big pop in stock that inherently have no other values other than people betting it will continue to go up. Eventually the bubble popped in early 70s. Yet, unlike the Great Depression, it didn't result in massive layoffs (unemployment never rose above 6%) or economic devastation
- You can always count on people to follow the herd (what Howard Marks calls a "sea change"). Thus, be patient, buy when low, you can bet that eventually someone will pay outrageous price for it (if you wait long enough - thus whatever you buy must yield a hefty return before the eventual sale)
- To sums up: history always repeats itself, and the book like this genre always repeats itself (not saying this in a negative tune, but rather a positive tune since it's comforting to know humans never change and you can apply the old lesson over and over again)
- The Go-Go eras of 60s began with a small pop in stock, then a mild decline, followed by big pop in stock that inherently have no other values other than people betting it will continue to go up. Eventually the bubble popped in early 70s. Yet, unlike the Great Depression, it didn't result in massive layoffs (unemployment never rose above 6%) or economic devastation
- You can always count on people to follow the herd (what Howard Marks calls a "sea change"). Thus, be patient, buy when low, you can bet that eventually someone will pay outrageous price for it (if you wait long enough - thus whatever you buy must yield a hefty return before the eventual sale)
August 29, 2021
Quay trở về quá khứ - thập niên 90 của thế kỷ trước.
"1988 - trong năm hoàng kim vừa qua thị trường đã liên tục tăng giá. Mặc dù lãi suất tăng suốt năm 1987, giá cổ phiếu đã bỏ qua yếu tố quan trọng này. Tháng 8/1988, giá cổ phiếu đã tăng lên một tỷ lệ khó có thể được giữ vững - 22 lần lợi tức thu được."
C��� phiếu Nhật Bản - lúc này cao gấp 60 lần lợi tức - được sử dụng như lá chắn. Không cần biết giá cả trong nước vô lý đến thế nào, chỉ cần giá cổ phiếu Nhật Bản còn vô lý hơn thế thì cổ phiếu tại Mỹ vẫn được coi là an toàn (cười)
Ai cũng đồng ý là giá cả đang ở mức cao, nhưng thị trường sẽ tăng giá thêm một lần nữa trở thành niềm tin vững chắc.
Những người tin rằng thị trường sẽ đi xuống biết rằng giá đang cao - nhưng những người tin thị trường sẽ lên cũng biết điều đó. Chỉ là ai cũng cố hút nốt giọt mật cuối cùng"
Ngày 6 tháng 10, Dow Jones giảm 91.55 điểm. Thứ 6, thị trường giảm thêm 108 điểm và thứ 2 tuần sau nữa, thị trường giảm 508 điểm - tương đương 22%."
"1988 - trong năm hoàng kim vừa qua thị trường đã liên tục tăng giá. Mặc dù lãi suất tăng suốt năm 1987, giá cổ phiếu đã bỏ qua yếu tố quan trọng này. Tháng 8/1988, giá cổ phiếu đã tăng lên một tỷ lệ khó có thể được giữ vững - 22 lần lợi tức thu được."
C��� phiếu Nhật Bản - lúc này cao gấp 60 lần lợi tức - được sử dụng như lá chắn. Không cần biết giá cả trong nước vô lý đến thế nào, chỉ cần giá cổ phiếu Nhật Bản còn vô lý hơn thế thì cổ phiếu tại Mỹ vẫn được coi là an toàn (cười)
Ai cũng đồng ý là giá cả đang ở mức cao, nhưng thị trường sẽ tăng giá thêm một lần nữa trở thành niềm tin vững chắc.
Những người tin rằng thị trường sẽ đi xuống biết rằng giá đang cao - nhưng những người tin thị trường sẽ lên cũng biết điều đó. Chỉ là ai cũng cố hút nốt giọt mật cuối cùng"
Ngày 6 tháng 10, Dow Jones giảm 91.55 điểm. Thứ 6, thị trường giảm thêm 108 điểm và thứ 2 tuần sau nữa, thị trường giảm 508 điểm - tương đương 22%."
November 28, 2023
An investment classic, Brooks covers the ebullient and irrational late 60s stock market bubble where any business focusing on electronics—or any type of public company ending with the suffix “onics”—was worth 50x earnings (nothing at all like ‘AI’…or bitcoin…or blockchain…or the metaverse….or ‘Web 3.0’!) Then of course easy money, fiscal indiscipline, and irresponsible overseas adventures pop the bubble as the US grinds toward 1970s stagflation.
It doesn’t take great insight to see today’s analogs to growth stock guru Gerald Tsai, ‘activist investor’ Saul Steinberg, the largest most levered conglomerators like LTV’s Jimmy Ling and Gulf & Western’s Charlie Bluhdorn, and the feckless overmatched ‘would-be FDR’ in the White House of the time.
‘There is nothing new under the Sun.’ - Ecclesiastes
It doesn’t take great insight to see today’s analogs to growth stock guru Gerald Tsai, ‘activist investor’ Saul Steinberg, the largest most levered conglomerators like LTV’s Jimmy Ling and Gulf & Western’s Charlie Bluhdorn, and the feckless overmatched ‘would-be FDR’ in the White House of the time.
‘There is nothing new under the Sun.’ - Ecclesiastes
June 29, 2021
"The go-go years" is very similar to "Once in Golconda" it is focused on the Wall Street itself. Not on what has really happened with the markets or investors or nation as a whole.
Again John Brooks dives in the Wall Street darvinian evolution including deregulation, regulation, Wall Street - SEC relationship, politics, etc. The standard pattern of reduction of margin requirements, wild speculation getting out of hand, bailouts and new regulation, repeats again.
I gave 2 stars "Once in Golconda" and I give 3 stars "The go-go years". The only reason for higher ranking is that there is much less written about the period and the book having much less competition is relatively better. But objectively it is still 2 stars.
Again John Brooks dives in the Wall Street darvinian evolution including deregulation, regulation, Wall Street - SEC relationship, politics, etc. The standard pattern of reduction of margin requirements, wild speculation getting out of hand, bailouts and new regulation, repeats again.
I gave 2 stars "Once in Golconda" and I give 3 stars "The go-go years". The only reason for higher ranking is that there is much less written about the period and the book having much less competition is relatively better. But objectively it is still 2 stars.
September 23, 2025
Maybe 2.5 Stars the book was okay had it not been written so long ago I would have said that it was written by AI. No real cohesiveness to the book just kind of despair it antidotes and facts of Wall Street in the 1960s. Once I don't think I'll ever listen to it again because the book was just kind of okay. Interesting to see how in hindsight Wall Street was very tame compared to what it is now but nonetheless there was still the same action chasing money and corruption that has amplified today. But far from a great book. This is nothing close to something that Michael Lewis has written on Wall Street. But it's worth a listen to. You just have to get past the lack of cohesiveness.
June 24, 2024
I got about 120 pages in. One of the top reviews for this book nails it perfectly. In the genre of gawking financial history, this might be one of the first books of this format, but it is very weak in comparison to the quality of modern incarnations. The rating qualities poor, no real narrative develops in any chapters and you get the overall feeling that the author is naming off many people, places and things, but the overall binding logic and story between all the elements is really not there.
October 22, 2020
Cant remember why I came across this book. Probably it was mentioned by Michael Lewis somewhere. The storytelling is good. But the information and view on Wall Street might be a bit out of date. Still, it provided detailed picture of financial world in its heyday through its collapse in the 1960s.
Read this if you are interested in financial world otherwise you will quickly be bored with all the terms and names and figures stated here 😂
Read this if you are interested in financial world otherwise you will quickly be bored with all the terms and names and figures stated here 😂
September 5, 2020
This book was written immediately after the 60s decade. Hence it provides an unbiased look at the decade and what the author thought was important about that decade. It is relevant to the modern day stock market investor, to understand human nature, and how things have changed...more importantly, how many things have not changed :)
April 26, 2025
It was overall OK. Sometimes got down into too much detail on less important events. Would have preferred a bit more detail on the really important events and stories. I can see Michael Lewis wrote the introduction, the book is similar to his style, which I dont particularly like - some might love it though.
December 5, 2020
I'm a fan of financial history, and I think everyone who hopes to retire one day should be. Reading only today's news could lead one to think the end is near, but reading of the topsy turvy markets of the late 60's followed by the crash reminds us that the past had its issues as well.
December 7, 2020
Reading Brooks is like drinking from a highly pressurised water hose. Despite its heavy style, the book gives a good account of the past years of exuberance and could be read in the context of modern crypto assets and SPAC manias.
October 14, 2024
The Go-Go Years by John Brooks offers a detailed look at the stock market boom of the 1960s, but the writing feels dated at times. While the insights into Wall Street culture are interesting, it is slow-paced and boring.
January 5, 2018
What comes around, goes around
January 17, 2018
A collection of business stories from the 1960s. Some good insights into the mood and behaviour of some key characters in the period.
November 12, 2019
Great book with great lessons that tells the story of those hype years
November 14, 2019
If you have an intellectual interest in how a long-term bull market develops euphoria and how that is expressed, then this book is a great resource.
February 22, 2021
Exhaustively reported, but the entire story here is a bit muddled -- even with some interesting early glimpses at the likes of Ross Perot and company.
January 17, 2022
because I Hardly find a book written about the Go-GO year of the 60s.
This book, although, not well-structured or deeply informative but have a vivid view of the era that reflects today's market.
This book, although, not well-structured or deeply informative but have a vivid view of the era that reflects today's market.
August 25, 2022
Interesting time 1960s
October 14, 2016
Question: has anyone read a contemporary history book that is no longer contemporary?
I recently wrapped up "The Go-Go Years" by John Brooks, a look at the bull market of the 60s and subsequent crash in 1970. It's a jauntily written and entertaining read (and includes perhaps the best description of Ross Perot I've ever run across). If you have an interest in economics, the stock market or the 60s, I thoroughly recommend it. Bonus points if you want to compare to similar contemporary histories of more recent economics, such as Michael Lewis' "The Big Short."
But what makes it such an oddity to me is that it was published in 1973 and, boy howdy, is it a product of its time. There's slang that is lost on me, Nixon shows up repeatedly without any reference to his wrongdoing, there is constant references to the Protestant-Jewish split on Wall Street. On its own merits, it's a pretty good book. As a time capsule, especially to a time which is just outside my own memory, it's absolutely fascinating.
It's occurred to me that this type of book makes up a fairly large chunk of current book sales (even if most of that is political tripe), but it feels like these books disappear after a few months never to resurface. There's a fascinating prospect of literary anthropology contained out there, if you only know where to find it.
I recently wrapped up "The Go-Go Years" by John Brooks, a look at the bull market of the 60s and subsequent crash in 1970. It's a jauntily written and entertaining read (and includes perhaps the best description of Ross Perot I've ever run across). If you have an interest in economics, the stock market or the 60s, I thoroughly recommend it. Bonus points if you want to compare to similar contemporary histories of more recent economics, such as Michael Lewis' "The Big Short."
But what makes it such an oddity to me is that it was published in 1973 and, boy howdy, is it a product of its time. There's slang that is lost on me, Nixon shows up repeatedly without any reference to his wrongdoing, there is constant references to the Protestant-Jewish split on Wall Street. On its own merits, it's a pretty good book. As a time capsule, especially to a time which is just outside my own memory, it's absolutely fascinating.
It's occurred to me that this type of book makes up a fairly large chunk of current book sales (even if most of that is political tripe), but it feels like these books disappear after a few months never to resurface. There's a fascinating prospect of literary anthropology contained out there, if you only know where to find it.
September 24, 2014
I got this book because I wanted more knowledge on what happened in the 1960s with the US market - and what caused Buffett to close down his partnership and 'take a break' - instead what I got from this book was minutiae about certain episodes, societal norms and well, a lot of jibber jabber.
It's is, as it should be, extremely US-centric and one can easily get lost in the many words... good book - just not for me.
It's is, as it should be, extremely US-centric and one can easily get lost in the many words... good book - just not for me.
January 28, 2016
Closer to four and a half stars. A great guide to the first acts of many late 20th century finance's most interesting characters, including Edward M. Gilbert, Saul Steinberg and H. Ross Perot. Also works as a time capsule of the semi-liberal 1960's, when capitalism could try to have a conscience.
August 2, 2008
An artfully written narrative of market behavior in the 1960s. Remarkably relevant today.
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