Long considered one of the best brains on Wall Street, Barton Biggs acquired the stature of a legend within his lifetime. Among his many coups, he accurately called the rise and fall of the dot-com market, and was an energetic promoter of emerging markets, including China, well before American businesses began flocking there—and he made vast fortunes for his clients, in the process.

But, as this fascinating book confirms, it wasn't Biggs's genius as a market analyst and hedge fund manager alone that made him ... Read morespecial. The product of a keen and broad-ranging intellect in full command of his subjects—and the English language—the letters compiled in this volume leave no doubt that Barton Biggs was one of the most interesting observers of Wall Street, the financial world, and the human comedy, ever to set pen to paper.

• Released from Morgan Stanley's archives and made public for the first time, the letters compiled in this volume add new luster to Biggs's reputation as a first-class finance author
• Address the most essential aspects of high-frequency trading, from formulation of ideas to performance evaluation
• Shares Biggs's fascinating insights and uncannily accurate predictions about an array of economic and financial topics, liberally peppered with historical references and wry humor
• Organized thematically, the letters showcase Barton Biggs's observations on finance, economics and the stock market, from 1980 to 2003