The Banker And The Bear: The Story Of A Corner In Lard...

by Henry Kitchell Webster

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections
such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact,
or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections,
have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works
worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.



++++

The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition

++++


The Banker And The The Story Of A Corner In Lard

Henry Kitchell Webster

The Macmillan Company, 1903

Fiction; Political; Bankers; Fiction / Political

366 pages, Paperback

Published March 8, 2012

About the author

Henry Kitchell Webster was an American author who lived in Evanston, Illinois. He wrote novels and short stories on themes ranging from mystery to family drama to science fiction. He first achieved moderate recognition in 1899 when he co-wrote The Short Line War with fellow Illinois author Samuel Merwin, with whom he later collaborated to write one of his more famous works, Calumet "K".

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10

"It is very easy to call such a man a rascal when you are reading about him in a book, but if you begin doing it among men of your acquaintance, it will be awkward."

This adventure of the stock exchange culminates with a duel between two men, one a banker, one a wealthy speculator (the bear). Both men overcome their share of obstacles on their way to prominence; both must decide the lengths to which they are willing to go for success.

The relationships between the characters provide some entertainment, and even for a reader unfamiliar with the workings of a stock exchange, the story moves along without getting too technical. Besides a strong female character (a woman named Dick, actually), Webster includes some cultural commentary as well. Certain characters make a distinction between "commercial" and traditional morality. As the story closes, such a distinction becomes more and more ironic, and the main character, though victorious, wonders if "something in the scheme of things was fundamentally wrong."

Unfortunately, the subject matter itself isn't the most exciting. Honestly, it's hard to entertain with a tale of economic maneuvers aimed at cornering a market, voting someone's shares, or deciding the price of lard. Also, the romantic subplot was fairly generic.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The characters and writing are definitely 1900, which is fun in itself. But the surprises and plot twists along the way, are engaging until the very end.