Common Stocks as Long Term Investments

Edgar Lawrence Smith

ISBN 10: 1614273324 / ISBN 13: 9781614273325

Published by Martino Fine Books, 2012

About this Item

Originally published in 1924, Common Stocks as Long-Term Investments was the first book to promote the idea that stocks surpass bonds in long-term investments. The work, which was highly reviewed and praised, was a key component in the stock market boom of the 1920s. Author and banker Edgar Lawrence Smith was startled to discover, when writing a pamphlet touting the advantages of bonds, that stocks were a better form of long-term investment, yielding a higher return. The New York Times claimed that the book laid down a principle which so reverses the accepted estimate of the relative investment value of bonds and common stocks as to have aroused the keen interest of Wall Street and investment bankers in general. This book will fascinate not only history buffs, but those interested in taking out stocks of their own. EDGAR LAWRENCE SMITH (1882-1971) was an American economist and financier, best known for his book Common Stocks as Long-Term Investments. After attending Harvard University, Smith worked in the finance industry until he became an adviser to the Low, Dixon & Co. brokerage firm. It was there he discovered, while trying to advertise the advantages of bonds in long-term investment, that stocks were actually a superior alternative, thus prompting his book. Its success enabled him to launch a mutual fund firm, Investment Managers Company, which he lost in the stock market crash of 1929.

Seller Inventory # CIN1614273324G

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Common Stocks as Long Term Investments
• Publisher: Martino Fine Books
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1614273324
• ISBN 13: 9781614273325
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

2012 Reprint of 1928 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Edgar Lawrence Smith, (1882 - 1971) was an economist, investment manager and author of the influential book "Common Stocks as Long Term Investments", which promoted the then-surprising idea that stocks excel bonds in long-term yield. . He worked in banking and other financial endeavors in the years after college, then signed on in 1922 as an adviser to the brokerage firm Low, Dixon & Company. While there, he later recounted in his Harvard class's 50th reunion yearbook, "I tried to write a pamphlet on why bonds were the best form of long term investment. But supporting evidence for this thesis could not be found." This discovery led to the 1924 publication of "Common Stocks as Long Term Investments." The book was widely reviewed and praised, and became a key intellectual support for the 1920s stock market boom. Its success enabled Smith to launch a mutual fund firm, "Investment Managers Company." It also garnered him an invitation from the economist John Maynard Keynes, who had favorably reviewed the book in "The Nation", to join the Royal Economic Society. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 brought a turn in Smith's fortunes.