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Quick answer: If you liked Liar's Poker, read Michael Lewis's The Big Short and Flash Boys, then Barbarians at the Gate, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Monkey Business and Rogue Trader. All are sharp, funny or damning stories of finance, greed and the characters who run Wall Street.
Michael Lewis's 1989 debut recounts his time as a bond salesman at Salomon Brothers in the 1980s, a world of loud traders, big egos and wild deals. It is funny, candid and became a Wall Street classic. The books below offer similar stories of finance, ambition and excess, in fiction and non-fiction.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Big Short | Michael Lewis | Adult | the crisis |
| Flash Boys | Michael Lewis | Adult | high-frequency trading |
| Moneyball | Michael Lewis | Adult | baseball and data |
| Barbarians at the Gate | Bryan Burrough and John Helyar | Adult | corporate takeover |
| The Bonfire of the Vanities | Tom Wolfe | Adult | New York satire |
| Monkey Business | John Rolfe and Peter Troob | Adult | investment banking memoir |
| Rogue Trader | Nick Leeson | Adult | the man who broke Barings |
| When Genius Failed | Roger Lowenstein | Adult | a hedge fund collapses |
| Den of Thieves | James B. Stewart | Adult | insider trading |
| The Smartest Guys in the Room | Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind | Adult | Enron |
| Too Big to Fail | Andrew Ross Sorkin | Adult | inside the crisis |
| The Wolf of Wall Street | Jordan Belfort | Adult | stock fraud memoir |
| Bad Blood | John Carreyrou | Adult | corporate fraud |
| House of Cards | William D. Cohan | Adult | Bear Stearns |
| Fool's Gold | Gillian Tett | Adult | the roots of the crisis |
1. The Big Short by Michael Lewis
A handful of investors bet against the housing bubble before 2008. Clear, funny and angry.
Best for: the crisis.
2. Flash Boys by Michael Lewis
A group of traders uncovers a rigged stock market. Sharp and dramatic.
Best for: high-frequency trading.
3. Moneyball by Michael Lewis
The Oakland A's use statistics to compete. A story of outsiders and numbers.
Best for: baseball and data.
4. Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar
The fight for RJR Nabisco in 1988. Fast and colourful.
Best for: corporate takeover.
5. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
A Wall Street trader's life collapses after a car accident. Big, sharp and satirical.
Best for: New York satire.
6. Monkey Business by John Rolfe and Peter Troob
Two young bankers describe the grind of mergers and acquisitions. Funny and frank.
Best for: investment banking memoir.
7. Rogue Trader by Nick Leeson
A trader's account of the collapse of Barings Bank. Gripping and cautionary.
Best for: the man who broke Barings.
8. When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein
The rise and fall of Long-Term Capital Management. A classic of financial storytelling.
Best for: a hedge fund collapses.
9. Den of Thieves by James B. Stewart
The insider trading scandals of the 1980s. Fast and gripping.
Best for: insider trading.
10. The Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind
The rise and fall of Enron. Compelling and damning.
Best for: Enron.
11. Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Sorkin recounts the 2008 meltdown from inside Wall Street and Washington. Detailed and gripping.
Best for: inside the crisis.
12. The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort
Belfort recounts his rise and fall as a penny-stock broker. Wild and self-serving.
Best for: stock fraud memoir.
13. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
The rise and fall of Theranos. Fast and compelling.
Best for: corporate fraud.
14. House of Cards by William D. Cohan
The collapse of Bear Stearns. Detailed and dramatic.
Best for: Bear Stearns.
15. Fool's Gold by Gillian Tett
A journalist traces how credit derivatives were created. Clear and sharp.
Best for: the roots of the crisis.
How to Choose
For more Lewis begin with The Big Short or Flash Boys. For corporate drama choose Barbarians at the Gate, Bad Blood or The Smartest Guys in the Room. For satire read The Bonfire of the Vanities. For banker memoirs pick Monkey Business, Rogue Trader or The Wolf of Wall Street. For the 2008 crisis try Too Big to Fail or Fool's Gold. Liar's Poker is lively and short, so these picks suit readers who like finance with a human face. Lewis wrote Liar's Poker partly as a warning to young people about taking jobs on Wall Street, but it had the opposite effect, as many readers were inspired to go into finance. He has joked about that irony for years. The best way to enjoy these finance books is to alternate memoirs and histories. If you like the personal style, Monkey Business and Rogue Trader are quick. If you want to understand specific events, When Genius Failed and Too Big to Fail go deeper. Audiobooks suit this genre well.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Liar's Poker about?
Michael Lewis's time as a bond trader at Salomon Brothers in the 1980s.
Who wrote it?
Michael Lewis.
When was it published?
1989.
Is it still relevant?
Yes, as a portrait of Wall Street culture.
Do I need finance knowledge?
No, Lewis explains things clearly.
Is it funny?
Yes, with sharp stories.
Is it true?
It is a memoir, with some names changed.
What should I read next?
Try The Big Short or Flash Boys.
Is Liar's Poker still worth reading?
Yes, it remains one of the funniest portraits of 1980s Wall Street.
Is it a business book?
It is a memoir and a work of narrative non-fiction.