Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2026-10-14
Books mentioned on Liaquat Ahamed on Financial Crises, Gold, and the Lessons of 1873
Liaquat Ahamed has spent years making central bankers into compelling characters.
Tyler Cowen discussed Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed and 1873 by Liaquat Ahamed. Liaquat Ahamed discussed The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Lords of Finance
Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed is a historical account detailing the tumultuous interwar period and the financial missteps that led to the Great Depression.
Discussed“Many of you will know him as the author of Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, from 2009, a book that won the Pulitzer Prize for history and numerous other awards.”
Where to get it
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1873
Discussed“Your book Lords of Finance, it convinced me that financial crises really matter, and your new book, 1873, almost convinced me that financial crises don’t really matter, because the world just keeps on growing.”
Where to get it
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The Best and the Brightest
The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam is a historical examination of the origins of the Vietnam War and the elite policymakers who steered the United States into the conflict.
Discussed“David Halberstam’s The Best and the Brightest. Why do you find that book so notable? Oh, it was probably the first book I read when I came to the United States in ’74. I find it’s just remarkable how it opened up the US political system.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Plugged 1873
“Today I am chatting with Liaquat Ahamed, who is the author of a new and wonderful book, 1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World, which I enjoyed very much.”
Plugged 1873
“The biggest villain in my whole book is Bismarck.”