The 18 Most Iconic Scenes From 'Liar's Poker'

Financial journalist Michael Lewis, author of The Big Short and Moneyball, penned his first work – a bestseller – in 1989.

In Liar's Poker, Lewis recounts his four-year stint at Salomon Brothers, the now-defunct Wall Street investment bank where the mortgage bond was invented.

While Lewis' detailed explanation of how Salomon reaped massive profits from the explosion in mortgage loans is instructive, his depictions of the larger-than-life personalities (like bond trader Lewis Ranieri and CEO John Gutfreund) jungle mentality, and other elements of the unsavory culture-du-jour are what adds immense color to this highly entertaining work.

A review by the New York Times was effusive in its praise of Lewis, closing "Whatever the case, he's obviously as good a writer as he was a bond salesman. Perhaps that's because both jobs involve being able to tell a good story."

A movie based on the book is in development, according to IMDB.

We've compiled 18 moments from Liar's Poker that capture exactly why the book became an instant classic.