Martin Prager Mayer (born January 14, 1928, New York City) is the writer of 35 non-fiction books, including Madison Avenue, U.S.A. (1958), The Schools (1961), The Lawyers (1967), About Television (1972), The Bankers (1975), The Builders (1978), Risky Business: The Collapse of Lloyd's of London (1995), The Bankers: The Next Generation (1997), The Fed (2001), and The Judges (2005).
Mayer's books describe and criticize American industries or professional groups. His book on Madison Avenue was described by Cleveland Amory as "The first complete story on the ... advertising industry".[1] Mayer wrote a music column for Esquire from 1952 to 1975. He is currently a scholar at the Brookings Institution. He is married to banking regulator Karin Lissakers.