{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260609T161823Z","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143116800?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"0143116800","authors":["Liaquat Ahamed"],"book_id":"9780143116806","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/lords-of-finance-0143116800","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780143116806.jpg?v=20260609T161823Z%3A2026-06-09T22%3A50%3A17Z","description":"Winner of the Pulitzer Prize “A magisterial work.” — New York Times Book Review “The rich and charming story of the end of the world.” — TIME “Highly readable.” — Financial Times “This absorbing study of the first collective of central bankers is provocative, not least because it is still relevant.” — The Economist It is commonly believed that the Great Depression that began in 1929 resulted from a confluence of events beyond any one person's or government's control. In fact, as Liaquat Ahamed reveals, it was the decisions made by a small number of central bankers that were the primary cause of that economic meltdown, the effects of which set the stage for World War II and reverberated for decades. As we continue to grapple with economic turmoil, Lords of Finance is a potent reminder of the enormous impact that the decisions of central bankers can have, their fallibility, and the terrible human consequences that can result when they are wrong.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9780143116806","publication_date":"20091229","publisher":"Penguin Publishing Group","slug":"lords-of-finance","subtitle":"The Bankers Who Broke the World (pulitzer Prize Winner)","title":"Lords of Finance"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"BUS070140","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Financial Services","score":0.7498,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"BUS069020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"International Economics","score":0.7485,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"BUS036080","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Derivatives Investing","score":0.7467,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"BUS070140","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Financial Services","score":0.7498,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"BUS069020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"International Economics","score":0.7485,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"BUS036080","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Derivatives Investing","score":0.7467,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"BUS008000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Business Ethics","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"BUS077000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Corporate Histories","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"HIS036060","confidence_band":"high","label":"20th-Century America","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Financial Services","score":0.7498,"slug":"financial-services"},{"label":"International Economics","score":0.7485,"slug":"international-economics"},{"label":"Derivatives Investing","score":0.7467,"slug":"derivatives-investing"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers interested in economic history and the Great Depression","Those curious about the impact of central bankers on global events"],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["William Hughes","Andrew Ross Sorkin","Penguin Audio"],"book_id":"9780143118244","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780143118244.jpg?v=20260609T161823Z%3A2026-06-09T22%3A50%3A17Z","score":23.9349,"title":"Too Big to Fail","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780143118244"},{"authors":["Scott Patterson"],"book_id":"9780307887184","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780307887184.jpg?v=20260609T161823Z%3A2026-06-09T22%3A50%3A17Z","score":20.5958,"title":"Dark Pools","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780307887184"},{"authors":["Tim Clissold"],"book_id":"9780060761400","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780060761400.jpg?v=20260609T161823Z%3A2026-06-09T22%3A50%3A17Z","score":20.3747,"title":"Mr. China","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780060761400"},{"authors":["Frank Partnoy"],"book_id":"9780393336818","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780393336818.jpg?v=20260609T161823Z%3A2026-06-09T22%3A50%3A17Z","score":18.9941,"title":"Fiasco","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780393336818"},{"authors":["Kai-Fu Lee","Mikael Naramore","Brilliance Audio","& 0 more"],"book_id":"9780358105589","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780358105589.jpg?v=20260609T161823Z%3A2026-06-09T22%3A50%3A17Z","score":18.3859,"title":"AI Superpowers","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780358105589"},{"authors":["Charles Gasparino"],"book_id":"9780061892486","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780061892486.jpg?v=20260609T161823Z%3A2026-06-09T22%3A50%3A17Z","score":18.2912,"title":"The Sellout","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780061892486"},{"authors":["DK","Niall Kishtainy"],"book_id":"9780593844113","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780593844113.jpg?v=20260609T161823Z%3A2026-06-09T22%3A50%3A17Z","score":18.1298,"title":"The Economics Book","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780593844113"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:history"],"label":"History","score":0.354,"slug":"history"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:data science for business"],"label":"Science","score":0.1663,"slug":"science"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:business"],"label":"Business","score":0.1199,"slug":"business"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:biography"],"label":"Biography","score":0.0928,"slug":"biography"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: economic history, central banking, financial crisis.","Pacing: steady blend of plot and character.","Themes: History, Science, Business."]},"llm_signals":{"confidence":0.9,"pacing":"steady","reader_fit":["Readers interested in economic history and the Great Depression","Those curious about the impact of central bankers on global events"],"themes":["economic history","central banking","financial crisis"],"tropes":[]},"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":true,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":0,"goodreads_ratings_count":16766,"goodreads_reviews_count":1059,"quality_score":0.9541}}