Book excerpt: An intriguing collection of insider information on little known aspects of commonly used business techniques, instruments, policies, and personalities that influenced the rise of the world's most successful business system. Bulls, Bears, Boom, and Bust: A Historical Encyclopedia of American Business Concepts translates the language of business in an engaging, compelling way. From mercantilism to microchips, indentured servants to venture capitalists, William Penn to Bill Gates, this one-of-a-kind lexicon provides general readers with an accessible introduction to the vernacular of the American business community, while providing business professionals with a handy resource for quick authoritative answers. Divided into five chronological sections, Bulls, Bears, Boom, and Bust ranges from colonial times to the present, charting the dramatic history of business innovations and institutions in the United States. It contains over 200 topical entries that define business-related terms and explain their relevance to American business and economic history. In addition, each section provides information about the people behind the signature developments in American business (innovative thinkers and entrepreneurs, namesakes of familiar companies, key political figures).