Like a modern day Colossus, his larger than life presence loomed over the top step of the Treasury bond pit at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). His unchallenged prowess in the pit earned him much more than financial rewards, for to see him in action was to witness a virtuoso working at the top of his form. In recognition, his admiring peers and colleagues affectionately dubbed him the "Sultan of Scalp," after another legendary powerhouse, Babe Ruth. Who was this extraordinary man? Charles P. DiFrancesca, or as he was known throughout the financial world, Charlie D, the greatest trader of his time. Like Buffett is to the stock market, and Soros to the daring alchemy of hedge funds, Charlie D is to the world s largest futures trading pit in U.S. Treasury bonds. Yet, for all his phenomenal success, Charlie D never once granted an interview. He never revealed his trading secrets to any but a few close friends. Now, in this unprecedented and eagerly awaited biography, financial reporter William Falloon chronicles the remarkable life, achievements, and strategies of this elusive, enigmatic, and fascinating figure. A natural born risk taker, Charlie D approached trading as the ultimate sport. His daily trading positions were often larger than those of the banks and corporations which traded against him. His flare for life dazzled those around him, whether battling volatile market swings in the bond pit, tossing the dice at the craps table in Las Vegas, relentlessly pursuing the perfect golf swing, or playing one of his notorious practical jokes. Beneath the flamboyance, however, there was a quieter, less assuming side to Charlie D, a salt of the earth midwesterner in striking contrast to the popular media image of greedy market inhabitants. Charlie D was a world class philanthropist. From cab drivers to valet attendants, from washed out traders to close friends and family, from former high school football coaches to leading medical researchers, he gave and gave and gave. Perhaps the ultimate legacy of Charlie D will be his ferocious tenacity in the face of personal tragedy. When an aggressive lymphoma attacked his system and his brother and mother were also diagnosed with cancer Charlie D grew more determined than ever to live life to the fullest. His outlook never changed. Returning to the CBOT s bond pit between chemotherapy and radiation treatments, he donned a protective vest beneath his jacket and resumed his position on the top step, where he remained until two weeks before his death on May 23, 1991. Told with a style and flair equal to its unique subject, Charlie D. unfolds like a great detective story with the author in hot pursuit of his reluctant quarry. Deftly interweaving intimate, personal detail with technical explanation, William Falloon paints a richly detailed, compelling portrait of Charles DiFrancesca, the man behind the myth of Charlie D. What emerges from this expansive biography is a penetrating exploration of the psychology of success.