An unsparingly critical, albeit evenhanded, audit of the SEC's efforts to police Wall Street during the volatile 1980's; based on a series of Washington Post articles that earned its authors a 1990 Pulitzer Prize. Coll (The Taking of Getty Oil, etc.) and Vise focus on the stewardship of John Shad, the agency's chairman during the deregulatory heyday of the Reagan Administration. They give the ex- Hutton executive full marks for a number of bold initiatives, including foresighted campaigns against insider trading, establishment of a Chief Economist's office, resolution of long- running turf battles with commodities authorities, outspoken opposition to LBO/takeover excesses, and concern for shareholder welfare. But authors fault Shad on a number of counts. By their book, for example, his hands-off approach to capital markets helped precipitate the 1987 crash; he often was oblivious to conflicts of interest and the political implications of his agency's decisions; and he was an indifferent administrator whose department heads frequently worked at cross purposes. According to the authors, Shad also failed to contain a sexual-harassment scandal that could have been settled early on. Coll and Vise make clear, though, that the financial world was an eventual venue on Shad's watch. With the likes of Ivan Boesky, Carl Icahn, Dennis Levine, and Michael Milken on the prowl, they note, the SEC's capacity to enforce securities laws was stretched to the limit, owing largely to the White House's bias toward laissez-faire and lean operating budgets. Even so, the authors conclude, the agency emerged intact from a turbulent era. Despite minor errors throughout (the authors seem to believe, for instance, that any bond with a letter rating is investment- grade): a savvy, wide-ranging recap of a decade notable for a wealth of financial folly and a reluctant top cop walking the market beat.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-684-19314-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1991
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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