Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco

Burrough and Helyar turn the RJR Nabisco buyout into a vivid study of leverage, ego, incentives, and the excesses of the 1980s deal boom.

What stuck

• Deals are rarely just about valuation. They are also about ego, incentives, and competition for status.
• Leverage can make ordinary corporate decisions feel historic right up until they go wrong.