While the remarkable figures in Vancouver's securities community provided the main inspiration for writing this book, their story would be less outstanding perhaps were it not for the Vancouver Stock Exchange, the unique marketplace in which they work. 

An article about the Vancouver Stock Exchange in a May 1989 issue of Forbes described the exchange as Scam Capital of the World, called "the longest-standing joke in North America", and added, "Each year it sucks billions of dollars out of legitimate markets by inducing dupes in North America and Europe to invest in mysterious outfits making hydro-douches, computerized golf courses, and airbourne farm equipment."

This book is about the magicians of the Vancouver Stock Market.