Australian History Antiquarian & Collectible Business & Economics Personal Finance True Stories Finance & Investment Humorous Non-Fiction
Pierpont by Trevor Sykes is the 1985 first-edition paperback that every Australian finance-history buff hopes to stumble upon in the wild. Written under the nom-de-plume “Pierpont” from the long-running Australian Financial Review column, this vintage volume distils the best of the ’70s and early-’80s market commentary that shaped a generation of investors. Sykes’ razor-sharp humour and eye for the absurd turn dry balance-sheet data into page-turning anecdotes, making it the perfect bridge between a business textbook and a bush-ranger yarn.
Inside, readers get the original cartoons and illustrations that ran alongside the columns—artwork that rarely survives in later reprints—plus Sykes’ unfiltered takes on everything from the Poseidon boom to the first stirrings of superannuation. Because this is a true first edition printed by Special Edition Information Australia, collectors gain access to the exact wording, page layout and cultural references that were later toned down or omitted. The book is therefore both a time-capsule of Australian corporate folklore and a practical guide to the cycles of greed, fear and regulatory loopholes that still echo in today’s markets.
Condition-wise, the copy shows only the light sun-fade and corner rub you’d expect from a 38-year-old paperback that has obviously been treasured, not trashed. Pages are crisp, unmarked and free of the usual ex-library stamps, inscriptions or dog-ears that plague scarce finance titles. For investors, historians or anyone hunting a uniquely Aussie gift that blends humour with hard-won market wisdom, this clean first edition of Pierpont is a keeper that will only become harder to find on the open market.
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