When Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, was appointed in 2006 to become the nation's next Secretary of the Treasury, he knew that his move from Wall Street to Washington would be daunting and challenging. But Paulson had no idea that a year later, he would find himself at the very epicenter of the world's most cataclysmic financial crisis since the Great Depression. Major institutions including Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup, among others-all steeped in rich, longstanding tradition-literally teetered at the edge of collapse. Panic ensnared international markets. Worst of all, the credit crisis spread to all parts of the U.S. economy and grew more ominous with each passing day, destroying jobs across America and undermining the financial security millions of families had spent their lifetimes building. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime economic nightmare. Events no one had thought possible were happening in quick succession, and people all over the globe were terrified that the continuing downward spiral would bring unprecedented chaos. All eyes turned to the United States Treasury Secretary to avert the disaster. This, then, is Hank Paulson's first-person account. From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, ON THE BRINK is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the reader in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players-including the CEOs of top Wall Street firms as well as Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Sheila Bair, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and then-President George W. Bush. More than an account about numbers and credit risks gone bad, ON THE BRINK is an extraordinary story about people and politics-all brought together during the world's impending financial Armageddon.

《纽约时报》、《金融时报》、亚马逊书店榜首畅销书 高盛（亚洲）原执行董事、著名经济学家胡祖六 作序 中国人民银行行长周小川、中国工商银行董事长姜建清、中国银行董事长肖钢 推荐阅读 著名经济学家钟伟、巴曙松、张军、易宪容、薛兆丰、汪丁丁 美国前财长亨利•保尔森， 最真挚的人生记忆、最真实的金融海啸纪录； 了解世界金融体系的沉浮，体味世界经济格局的风云变幻 作为曾任职于高盛和美国财政部长的保尔森来说，每次金融危机的到来，他无疑都是处于金融震荡的“震中”，保尔森在历次经济危机中采取的措施无疑值得我们深入阅读和思考。这本书如实地记录了保尔森在金融动荡中的重大决策是如何做出的，不仅仅包括保尔森的个人回忆，也包括与美国前总统布什、美国现总统奥巴马、美联储主席伯南克和现任财政部长盖特纳的会谈。 保尔森在《崩溃边缘》一书中认为自己是自由市场的坚定支持者，他为自己救助美国国际集团（AIG）及其他华尔街公司的决定进行了辩护。他认为，对于自由市场的支持者来说，在换作任何其他时候，他都会对政府采取的干预措施感到深恶痛绝，而这场史无前例的危机可能瓦解现代金融系统，作为响应危机的第一道屏障，美国别无选择、必须出手救助银行 此外，保尔森在《崩溃边缘》一书中透露了金融危机爆发时，世界各国所持的态度。保尔森认为，当美国金融面临崩溃，世界金融体系走向灾难的时候，作为美国盟友的英国却背叛了美国，而俄罗斯也在美国处于金融危机时幸灾乐祸。唯有中国人，却坚持不卖出美国债券，为美国金融体系的稳定做出了贡献。 而金融危机中美国政局的变化，保尔森也做了如实的记录。在书中，保尔森真实记录了自己和奥巴马、麦凯恩以及共和党副总统候选人佩林的谈话。保尔森最后的印象是，奥巴马“一下子就理解了他的意思”，而佩林却对经济危机和救市计划毫无概念。这或许能说明保尔森所在的共和党为什么会在大选中落败。