MarketBarbarians at the Gate
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Barbarians at the Gate

Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco is a 1989 book about the leveraged buyout (LBO) of RJR Nabisco, written by investigative journalists Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. The book is based upon a series of articles written by the authors for The Wall Street Journal.

Important personalities
F. Ross Johnson, president and CEO, RJR Nabisco • Ed Horrigan, president and chief executive officer of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco division of RJR Nabisco • Edward J. Robinson, chief financial officer of RJR Nabisco • Peter Cohen, chairman and chief executive, Shearson Lehman HuttonTed Forstmann, senior partner, Forstmann Little & CompanyJohn Greeniaus, president and chief executive officer of Nabisco division of RJR Nabisco • Eugene Yetman, chairman of the board, RJR Nabisco • Henry Kravis, senior partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.George R. Roberts, senior partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. • Jim Robinson, chairman and chief executive, American ExpressTed Ammon, financier and investment banker • Charles Hugel, special committee director • James Maher, investment banking head, First BostonKim Fennebresque, investment banker, First Boston • Felix Rohatyn, managing director, Lazard FreresIra Harris, banker, Lazard Freres • Jay Pritzker, chairman of Hyatt and member the Pritzker family. • Thomas PritzkerHarry Gray ==Film adaptation==
Film adaptation
The book was adapted by Larry Gelbart for a 1993 television movie of the same name directed by Glenn Jordan and starring James Garner. ==Publishing information and reception==
Publishing information and reception
In 2008, HarperCollins re-released Barbarians to mark the two-decade anniversary of the RJR deal. Media columnist Jon Friedman at MarketWatch opined on the occasion that it was "the best business book ever." Friedman spoke with the authors about the two-decade history of the book and of their ensuing careers (the two undertook no further joint projects). Business reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin of The New York Times wrote in his book Too Big to Fail that this is his favourite business book of all time. == Further reading ==
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