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A surprising look at the often misunderstood world of finance by a leading professor from Harvard University. What can Jane Austen and Anthony Trollope teach us about risk management? How does Mel Brooks' THE PRODUCERS illustrate the problem of corporate governance? And what's the real lesson to be gleaned on value creation from the Bible's Parable of Talents? The WISDOM OF FINANCE turns the often dry and dusty world of finance upside down. Expanding on a "last lecture" given in 2015 to graduating MBA students, Mihir Desai illustrates the core principles of finance via a variety of literary, cinematic, and historical references. Desai's unexpected insight, humor, and irony offer a new perspective for insiders and outsiders alike. Unprecedented in its scope, this book will change how you think about finance and reveal the true moral foundation of this often maligned industry.