# Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar

3 Hacker News commenters recommended Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a classic account of the attempted RJR Nabisco takeover, with detailed figures and a good mix of narrative and financial mechanics.

## Why people recommend it

- Detailed portraits of key figures (1 comments): "The story gets into the details of key figures involved, including Henry Kravis" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48016136))
- Classic account of RJR Nabisco takeover (1 comments): "a classic about the attempted takeover of RJR Nabisco" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47072696))
- Good mix of story and mechanics (1 comments): "It gives a nice mix of story and financial mechanics." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48017868))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Eccentric Orbits by John Bloom](https://hackerapproved.com/p/eccentric-orbits-the-iridium-story.md): 8 recommend
- [The Man Who Solved the Market by Gregory Zuckerman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/man-who-solved-the-market.md): 7 recommend
- [More Money Than God by Sebastian Mallaby](https://hackerapproved.com/p/more-money-than-god.md): 2 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060920386?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780060920388) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar", https://hackerapproved.com/p/barbarians-at-the-gate/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).