1929

Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation

By: Andrew Ross Sorkin

Narrated by: Andrew Ross Sorkin

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“It is one of the best narrative histories I’ve read.”
—The Wall Street Journal

A New York Times Notable Book of 2025 • One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2025 • Named a BEST BOOK OF 2025 by TIME, The Economist, Air Mail, Bloomberg, and History

From the bestselling author of Too Big to Fail, “the definitive history of the 2008 banking crisis,” (The Atlantic) comes a riveting narrative of the most infamous stock market crash in history—one with ripple effects that still shape our society today.

In 1929, the world watched in shock as the unstoppable Wall Street bull market went into a freefall, wiping out fortunes and igniting a depression that would reshape a generation. But behind the flashing ticker tapes and panicked traders, another drama unfolded—one of visionaries and fraudsters, titans and dreamers, euphoria and ruin.

With unparalleled access to historical records and newly uncovered documents, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin takes readers inside the chaos of the crash, behind the scenes of a raging battle between Wall Street and Washington and the larger-than-life characters whose ambition and naïveté in an endless boom led to disaster. The dizzying highs and brutal lows of this era eerily mirror today’s world—where markets soar, political tensions mount, and the fight over financial influence plays out once again.

This is not just a story about money. 1929 is a tale of power, psychology, and the seductive illusion that this time is different. It’s about disregarded alarm bells, financiers who fell from grace, and skeptics who saw the crash coming—only to be dismissed until it was too late.

Hailed as a landmark book, Too Big to Fail reimagined how financial crises are told. Now, with 1929, Sorkin delivers an immersive, electrifying account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time—with lessons that remain as urgent as ever. More than just a history, 1929 is a crucial blueprint for understanding the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheaval, and the warning signs we ignore at our peril.

Very thorough very detailed

I had trouble putting this audiobook down. I wanted to keep listening to it. Very detailed that’s really nice to know what happened back then so hopefully we can learn from previous mistakes. But we won’t.

Good story- bad reader

The reader, who is strangely also the author, is a terrible reader. I found his bizarre diction and monotone delivery distracting from a pretty well-written story. “Weary” and “wary” are two different words that are pronounced differently and mean different things- super annoying.

Excellent overall well written Very informative

There was nothing truly that I disliked. I highly recommend this book. I purchased a copy for my 3 son in laws and bought a copy for my security advisor who is with J P Morgan. I can’t wait to hear what he has to say about it

How much 2025 rhymes with 1929

Really enjoyed the backstory to 1929. The roles played by Herbert Hoover, Charlie Mitchell, Billy Durant, Carter Glass, etc. Well told!

Feels like a very objective, based in real people’s history book

I expected the book to be biased, but did not find that to be the case