Deals of the Century: Wall Street, Mergers, and the Making of Modern America

DEALS OF THE CENTURY Throughout history, mergers and acquisitions have been the major game played on Wall Street. These deals have had far–reaching effects, on the worlds of finance and industry – more than most commentators or financiers are publicly willing to admit. Deals of the Century captures this dynamic moment in history by taking an in–depth look at the most notable merger and acquisition deals of the twentieth of Carnegie Steel in 1901 to the creation of the former AOL Time Warner, renowned business historian and bestselling author Charles Geisst traces the deals that have had the most dramatic impact on the worlds of both finance and industry over the past century. Decade by decade, you′ll be introduced to the personalities behind each event, as industries are built, dismantled, and reorganized by "professionals" driven mainly by the profits extracted from the deals themselves. Engaging and informative, Deals of the Century paints an exciting portrait of the incredible M&A journey and illustrates how many of these deals changed the face of business, creating a modern capitalist society that continues to grow.

Introduction. Chapter One. Building the Infrastructure. Chapter Two. Driving to the Store. Chapter Three. Power Plays and Conspiracy Theories. Chapter Four. Roll Over, Euclid. Chapter Five. Visigoths versus the Legions. Chapter Six. Spawned by Deregulation. Chapter Seven. Old Bedfellows. Bibliography. Index.

Charles Geisst is the author of thirteen books, including The Last Partnerships: Inside the Great Wall Street Money Dynasties (McGraw Hill, 2001), Monopolies in America: Empire Builders and Their Enemies from Jay Gould to Bill Gates (Oxford University Press, 2000), 100 Years of Wall Street (an illustrated history, McGraw–Hill, 1999), and Wall Street: A History (Oxford University Press, 1997). Wall Street: A History was widely reviewed and was on the New York Times Business Bestseller List for three months and was a selection of the History Book Club and the Book of the Month Club International. From 1972–75, Geisst taught political science in an open admissions environment in the City University of New York before taking a job on Wall Street. Subsequently, he worked as a capital markets analyst and investment banker at several investment banks in the City of London. Since 1985 he has taught finance at Manhattan College where he is presently a professor of finance. He was named the college′s first Louis F. Capalbo Chair in Business in 1993. Consulting assignments in financial markets have been with Cazenove & Co., S.G. Warburg & Co., the Hudson Institute, and J.P. Morgan & Co. Listed in Who′s Who and a frequent participant in Renaissance Weekend, he has published professional and trade articles in magazines and journals such as the International Herald Tribune , Neue Zurcher Zeitung , Newsday and Euromoney .