Fifty Years in Wall Street was published in 1908.  In its original form, the book stretched to over 1000 pages, covering a wide assortment of events, people, and issues from 1857, when Clews began his Wall Street career to the early part of the 20th century.  This abridged version captures the heart of the book, bringing this rough and tumble era on Wall Street to life through the words of an actual participant.  Clews writes eloquently about the markets ups and downs and how only the most savvy investors are able to avoid the madness of the moment and buy when everyone else is in panic and sell when everyone else is in a buoyant mood.  With first-hand knowledge, he discusses the careers of Wall Streets most important speculators and financiers.   And in these stories, he illuminates the brilliant decisions that built fortunes and disastrous mistakes that brought on financial ruin.  As a major figure on Wall Street, Clews was involved in politics and he writes about attempts by Wall Street to influence elections and how a group of Wall Street financiers were able to thwart the influence of the notorious Boss Tweed on the financial markets.