The Essential Wall Street Starter Reading List
As part of Wiley’s commitment to helping our customers succeed across all stages of their academic and professional careers, we’ve compiled a list of titles to help investment bankers better understand the history, evolution and current state of Wall Street on both a theoretical and practical level.
New titles are published all the time, so consider this a ‘starter’ list and a catalyst for your continued professional development.
Note that this list is meant to supplement your current events reading. We strongly recommend reading The Wall Street Journal, The Economist and other industry-relevant news sources on a frequent, if not daily, basis.
Featured Titles
Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
by Peter Bernstein
Described by The Washington Post Book World as “a comprehensive history of man’s efforts to understand risk and probability,” Peter Bernstein’s powerful literary achievement explores the evolution of risk – and risk management – from ancient to modern times.
Financial Modeling & Valuation: A Practical Guide to Investment Banking and Private Equity
by Paul Pignatar
Using a Walmart case study as the basis, Paul Pignataro, Founder and CEO of the New York School of Finance, provides a step-by-step guide to analyzing a company’s financial standing from an investment banking perspective.
The Business of Venture Capital: Insights from Leading Practitioners on the Art of Raising a Fund, Deal Structuring, Value Creation, and Exit Strategies
by Mahendra Ramsinghani
In The Business of Venture Capital, Second Edition,Mahendra Ramsinghani brings clarity to the subject of venture capital through a combination of experiential wisdom and insights from leading industry experts.
Investment Banking for Dummies
by Matthew Krantz & Robert Johnson
Krantz and Johnson take a pragmatic approach to helping readers navigate the inherently complex world of investment banking, outlining proven strategies for success in a format mirroring an introductory investment banking course.
Investment Banking: Valuation, Leveraged Buyouts, and Mergers and Acquisitions
by Joshua Rosenbaum & Joshua Pearl
Recognizing the need for a valuation resource relevant to the role of the investment banker, Rosenbaum and Pearl took it upon themselves to write, “the definitive book that they wish had existed when they were trying to break into Wall Street,” supplemented by online tools.
Other Interesting Reads:
- The House of Nomura: The Inside Story of the Legendary Japanese Financial Dynasty by Albert Alletzhauser
- Greed and Glory on Wall Street: The Fall of the House of Lehman by Ken Auletta
- The Rise and Fall of the Merchant Bank by Erik Banks
- A History of Corporate Finance by Jonathan Barron Baskin and Paul J. Miranti, Jr.
- In the Black: A History of African Americans on Wall Street by Gregory S. Bell
- Capital Ideas: The Improbable Origins of Modern Wall Street by Peter L. Bernstein
- The Chastening: Inside The Crisis That Rocked The Global Financial System And Humbled The IMF by Paul Blustein
- From Here to Economy: A Shortcut to Economic Literacy by Todd G. Buchholz
- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America by Warren Buffett
- The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance by Ron Chernow
- Old Girls’ Network: Insider Advice for Women Building Businesses in a Man’s World by Connie Duckworth, Sharon Whiteley
- Wall Street Women by Anne B. Fisher
- Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings by Philip A. Fisher
- The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power: 1653-2000 by John Steele Gordon
- The Intelligent Investor: The Classic Text on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham
- Bill Gross on Investing by William H. Gross
- Investment Banking: A Tale of Three Cities by Samuel L. Hayes III and Philip M. Hubbard
- Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises by Charles Kindleberger
- Understanding Wall Street by Jeffrey Little & Lucien Rhodes
- The Battle For Investment Survival by Gerald Loeb
- Beating the Street by Peter Lynch
- Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds by Charles MacKay, Martin Fridson, Joseph de la Vega
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Gordon Malkiel
- The Fed: The Inside Story How World’s Most Powerful Financial Institution Drives Markets by Martin Mayer
- Money and Power: The History of Business by Howard B. Means
- The London Stock Exchange: A History by Ranald Michie
- The Big Board: A History of the New York Stock Market by Robert Sobel
- Money Game by Adam Smith
- Toward Rational Exuberance: The Evolution of the Modern Stock Market by B. Mark Smith
- Adam Smith and the Origins of American Enterprise by Roy C. Smith St. Martin’s Press; 2002
- The Alchemy of Finance: Reading the Mind of the Market by George Soros
- Money Masters of Our Time by John Train
- After the Trade Is Made: Processing Securities Transactions by David Weiss
- Martin Zweig’s Winning on Wall Street by Martin Zweig