When Americans think of investment and finance, they think of Wall Street--though this was not always the case. During the dawn of the Republic, Philadelphia was the center of American finance. The first stock exchange in the nation was founded there in 1790, and around it the bustling thoroughfare known as Chestnut Street was home to the nation's most powerful financial institutions. The First Wall Street recounts the fascinating history of Chestnut Street and its forgotten role in the birth of American finance. According to Robert E. Wright, Philadelphia, known for its...
When Americans think of investment and finance, they think of Wall Street--though this was not always the case. During the dawn of the Republic, Phila...
Modern financial theories enable us to look at old problems in early American Republic historiography from new perspectives. Concepts such as information asymmetry, portfolio choice, and principal-agent dilemmas open up new scholarly vistas. Transcending the ongoing debates over the prevalence of either community or capitalism in early America, Wright offers fresh and compelling arguments that illuminate motivations for individual and collective actions, and brings agency back into the historical equation.
Wright argues that the Colonial rebellion was in part sparked by destabilizing...
Modern financial theories enable us to look at old problems in early American Republic historiography from new perspectives. Concepts such as infor...
A lively history of one of America's oldest publishing houses, published in conjunction with Wiley's bicentennial
Founded in New York City when Thomas Jefferson was president, Wiley has been a significant player in the publishing industry for two centuries. Now, on the occasion of Wiley's bicentennial, a distinguished team of authors brings Wiley's rich history to life, showing how the company has reacted to trends within the publishing industry as well as to larger economic, social, and cultural forces. Knowledge for Generations sheds light on the long-term strengths...
A lively history of one of America's oldest publishing houses, published in conjunction with Wiley's bicentennial
The nature of America's early economy has been hotly contested for several decades. Historians have often focused on the question of when America became "capitalist," while economists have tried to determine when American economic growth sped up. In The Origins of Commercial Banking in America, Robert E. Wright argues that the ultimate causes of American economic development and transformation into a modern society can be reduced to the causes of American banking. In the first full analysis of the origins of American commercial banking since Bray Hammond's monumental study forty-five years...
The nature of America's early economy has been hotly contested for several decades. Historians have often focused on the question of when America beca...
Mutually Beneficial tells the story of the evolution of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, one of the most important life and health insurers in the history of the U.S. economy and life insurance industry. Relying on exclusive access to the company's archives, interviews with its current executive officers, the public record, and scholarly articles and monographs, Robert E. Wright and George David Smith provide a strategic analysis of Guardian, from its founding to its standing in the insurance world today. Mutually Beneficial also describes the origin of...
Mutually Beneficial tells the story of the evolution of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, one of the most important life and he...
Wright, Robert E.; Sylla, Richard; Royce, Charles M.
In this unique, well-illustrated book, readers learn how fifty financial corporations came to dominate the U.S. banking system and their impact on the nation's political, social, and economic growth. A story that spans more than two centuries of war, crisis, and opportunity, this account reminds readers that American banking was never a fixed enterprise but has evolved in tandem with the country. More than 225 years have passed since Alexander Hamilton created one of the nation's first commercial banks. Over time, these institutions have changed hands, names, and locations, reflecting a...
In this unique, well-illustrated book, readers learn how fifty financial corporations came to dominate the U.S. banking system and their impact on the...
