Book cover of Once in Golconda: A True Drama of Wall Street 1920-1938

Book description

Once in Golconda "In this book, John Brooks-who was one of the most elegant of all business writers-perfectly catches the flavor of one of history's best-known financial dramas: the 1929 crash and its aftershocks. It's packed with parallels and parables for the modern reader." -From the Foreword by Richard Lambert…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Once in Golconda as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

And here we are, in the Roaring Twenties, the decade that showed a nation how much trouble an unruly Wall Street can cause the country! The late John Brooks of The New Yorker had a gift for romping through important financial history in the most entertaining way possible. I discovered this gem of his when I was new to covering Wall Street; I’ve turned to it countless times since, both for the facts and for the fun! 

A classic on one of history's best-known financial dramas. Once in Golconda provides a fast-paced account of the greed and euphoria of the '20s Wall Street bull market, the subsequent crash of '29, and its painful aftermath, not just for those investors who got caught up in the speculative mania and became victims of their own cupidity, but for many others too. Focusing on the lives and fortunes of some of the era's most memorable financiers, its main protagonist and anti-hero is Richard Whitney, the Wall Street aristocrat who became president of the New York Stock Exchange and ended up…

From Kevin's list on The best books on financial crises.

If you love Once in Golconda...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like Once in Golconda?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 26 books like Once in Golconda.

Browse books like Once in Golconda

Book cover of When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
Book cover of Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World
Book cover of The South Sea Bubble

Share your top 3 reads of 2026!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

183

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Once in Golconda, you might also like...

Book cover of Child of Vanris

Child of Vanris by Nikki McCormack,

At five years old, Kasiel was found with the pointed ends of his ears cut off. Despite that brutal start, he’s lived twelve peaceful years with the man who took him in. Keeping his hair long over his mutilated ears helps him hide the fact that he is Vanrian, a…

Book cover of Almost Home

Almost Home by Howard Means,

Almost Home is a fictional retelling of the last great tragedy of the Civil War.

In late April 1865, almost 2,000 newly freed Union prisoners of war are packed onto the steamer Sultana, in poor repair and with a listed capacity of 376 passengers. Among them are four Indiana soldiers…

5 book lists we think you will like!