The Roaring '80s Author:Adam Smith The '80s, an era of easy debt and easy spending, are still roaring along, and in this lively and enlightening book, Adam Smith once again helps us understand the economic complexities of our most recent times - revealing the trends, showing us what they mean, and providing a way to think about the past and the future. — In The Roaring '80s Adam S... more »mith takes the reader on a revealing and wide-ranging journey from Wall Street to the Pacific rim, from Seventh Avenue to the Federal Reserve, and from inside the investment banking boom to the shrinking towns around our smokestack industries. Along the way, Adam Smith is a convivial and entertaining guide as he engages hundreds of people in conversations that dramatize the high, low, and hidden spots in this remarkable financial decade.
Paul Volcker describes how the policies that led to interest rates of 20 percent were intended to give the economy a jolt; Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, tells how he boned up for the crash,; John Phelan, Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, tells how the day after the crash bore the gravest danger; fashion designer Liz Claiborne says that the secret of her success with American women is understanding their real shape; and unemployed steelworker cries, "Just tell me what I did wrong"; and Soichiro Honda, the automobile entrepreneur, describes how he owes his success to an American general.« less