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Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Ford, Drew, Fisk, Harriman, Du Pont, Morgan, Mellon, Insull, Gould, Frick, Schwab, Swift, Guggenheim, Hearst- these are only a few of the foundation giants that have changed the face of America. They gave living reality to that great golden legend-The American Dream. Most were self-made in the Horatio Alger tradition. Those whose beginnings were blessed with wealth parlayed their inheritances many times through the same methods as their rags-to-riches show more compatriots: shrewdness, ruthlessness, determination, or a combination of all three. The Age of the Moguls is not overly concerned with the comparative business ethics of these men of money. The best of them made "deals," purchased immunity, and did other things which in 1860, 1880, or even 1900, were considered no more than "smart" by their fellow Americans, but which today would give pause to the most conscientiously dishonest promoter. Holbrook does not pass judgments on matters that have baffled moralists, economists, and historians. He is less concerned with how these men achieved their fortune as much as how they disbursed the funds. Stewart Holbrook has written a brilliant and wholly captivating study of the days when America's great fortunes were built; when futures were unlimited; when tycoons trampled across the land. Few writers today could range backwards and forwards in American history through the last century and a half, and could take their readers to a dozen different sections of the country, or combine the lives of over fifty famous men in such a way as to produce a continuous and exciting narrative of sponsored growth. Leslie Lenkowsky's new introduction adds dimension to this classic study. show lessTags
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This is a story of empire builders, robber barons and tycoons in their struggles for wealth and how those struggles accelerated the development of the A merican economy.
Holbrook at his best- which is very, very good.
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50+ Works 2,799 Members
Stewart Hall Holbrook (1893-1964) worked as a lumberjack, actor, cartoonist, artillery man, and editor. His lively books on American history cover topics as diverse as the timber industry, the Wobblies, Ethan Allen, and eccentrics of the Pacific Northwest. Murder Out Yonder ranges from coast to coast to offer a fascinating variety of real-life show more crime stories. show less
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Awards and Honors
Distinctions
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Age of the Moguls
- Original publication date
- 1953
- People/Characters
- John Jacob Astor; Andrew Carnegie; James Fisk, junior; Jay Gould; William Randolph Hearst; John D. Rockefeller
- Important places
- USA
- Dedication
- for Sibyl
- First words
- Cornelius Vanderbilt, commonly called the Commodore, was last seen taking the air in April 1876.
Foreword: The men in this book have been described variously during a century as giants and Titans, and more often as rogues, robbers, and rascals.
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Statistics
- Members
- 174
- Popularity
- 188,632
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.56)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 16
