When Genius Failed: The Rise And Fall Of Long Term Capital Management Roger Lowenstein Nonfiction Book

When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long Term Capital Management is a compelling, deeply reported paperback for readers who want a front-row view of high finance gone wrong. Perfect for students of economics, investors, teachers, and curious readers, this edition—Condition: BRAND NEW, Format: Paperback, ISBN: 9781841155043—reveals how a Nobel-studded hedge fund became the poster child for risk and hubris in modern markets.

This book follows Long-Term Capital Management, the hedge fund founded by John Meriwether alongside two Nobel Prize winners and a team of Wall Street’s brightest. Praised initially as a gold standard in investing, LTCM was a private, exclusive investment club that required millions to join. Roger Lowenstein traces the fund’s rise to extraordinary profits and its catastrophic collapse—showing how sophisticated models, leverage, and overconfidence combined to create one of the most dramatic rescues in financial history.

About the author: Roger Lowenstein (born 1954) is an acclaimed American financial journalist and writer with deep Wall Street experience. A Cornell graduate, he reported for The Wall Street Journal for more than a decade, including two years on the influential "Heard on the Street" column (1989–1991). Lowenstein brings authoritative reporting and clarity to complex financial stories. He is the son of the late Louis Lowenstein, a Columbia University law professor known for his critiques of the American financial industry, and currently serves as a director of Sequoia Fund. His background and firsthand reporting make this an essential title for anyone studying market behavior and financial regulation.

What you’ll find inside

• A narrative account of LTCM’s founding, strategy, and the personalities involved—John Meriwether and other Wall Street figures.
• Clear explanations of leverage, derivatives, and the risks that most investors don’t fully appreciate.
• An examination of the 1998 crisis and the unprecedented private-sector bailout coordinated with regulators.
• Context on the broader implications for markets, regulation, and investor risk management.

Key benefits

• Insightful, readable analysis from an award-winning financial journalist—ideal for classroom reading or book clubs.
• Paperback edition makes it easy to carry and share; perfect for students and professionals.
• Great resource for investors learning about risk, diversification, and the limits of quantitative models.
• Makes an excellent gift for finance majors, economics teachers, or anyone fascinated by true financial drama.

Whether you’re building a personal finance library, assembling a book collection on market history, or searching for a thought-provoking gift set for a budding investor, this paperback edition of When Genius Failed delivers clarity, drama, and lessons that remain relevant. Trusted reporting and strong author credentials make this a timeless keepsake for readers who want to understand how brilliance and arrogance can collide—with consequences for the entire financial system.