Publisher's Synopsis
PRAISE FOR FISCHER BLACK AND THE REVOLUTIONARY IDEA OF FINANCE
"Perry Mehrling′s fascinating book provides a rich picture of Fischer Black the man′s spirit, his brilliant ideas, the times in which he worked, and the people with whom he collaborated and learned. Mehrling treats Black′s personal life with sensitivity and charm. He treats the professional side with rare lucidity that conveys the sense of excitement in Black′s intellectual discoveries."
Peter L. Bernstein , economic consultant to institutional investors, and author of Capital Ideas: The Improbable Origins of Modern Wall Street
"Fischer Black was more than a vital force in the development of finance theory. He was also a character. Perry Mehrling has captured both sides of the picture: the evolution of thinking about the pricing of risk and time, as well as the thinkers, especially this fascinating eccentric, who worked it out."
Robert M. Solow , Nobel Laureate and Institude, Professor of Economics, Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"Although I worked closely with Fischer for nine years at Goldman Sachs, and clearly recognized both his genius and the breadth and originality of his ideas, until I read this book I had only the vaguest grasp of the source of his inspiration, and no understanding at all of the source of his many idiosyncracies."
Bob Litterman , head of Quantitative Resources, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
"Perry Mehrling′s rendition of the evolution of modern finance paints an informative picture of both the subject matter and its principal architects. These innovators are giants, all. Fischer Black, however, stands out among his peers, not only for his seminal contributions, but for the allure of his distinct idiosyncrasies . . . exhibiting the beingness of an extraordinary human; indeed, one I knew well."
Mac McQuown , Principal, Diversified Credit Investments, LLC Director, Dimensional Fund Advisors, and former chairman, KMV Corporation
"Perry Mehrling has done a remarkable job of tracing the intellectual and personal development of one of the most original and complex thinkers of our generation. Fischer Black deserved it: a charming and brilliant book about a charming and brilliant man."
Robert E. Lucas, Jr. , Nobel laureate and Professor of Economics, University of Chicago
"I thought I knew Fischer Black well, both personally and intellectually, but missed entire sections of his life and work. Perry Mehrling′s book shows the whole man, who was much more remarkable than I realized."
Stewart C. Myers , Billard Professor of Finance, MIT Sloan School of Management
