It's a fun read but not very technical, or rather, not technical at all. It's a story, I didn't learn anything about finance or business strategy from it.

Right, it's good for a weekend read. I wouldn't say it's completely devoid of educational value. It's interesting to see how Johnson manages his board relationships, as well as the details of the bidding process and how difficult it can be to form partnerships.

The late 80s were definitely a different time, though - the amount of money needed for the RJR LBO is much more easily accessible to people in similar positions in 2016. As of June 30th, KKR's AUM is $131B, while Blackstone is at $356B.

Another good read on PE is King of Capital (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307886026).

If you're interested in learning the technical details of corporate finance, you're probably best off starting with something like the Coursera class Introduction to Corporate Finance (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-finance), and then reading the textbooks referenced by the course for a more in-depth understanding.

i read this book, it's good. i got the overwhelming feeling that once started, the buyout process is outside of any one person or group's control. it takes on a life of its own.