Titan The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr |
|
Author:
| Chernow, Ron |
ISBN: | 978-1-4000-7730-4 |
Publication Date: | Mar 2004 |
Publisher: | Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
|
Imprint: | Vintage |
Book Format: | Paperback |
List Price: | USD $23.00 |
Book Description:
|
National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist From the acclaimed, award-winning author of
Alexander Hamilton: here is the essential, endlessly engrossing biography of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.--the Jekyll-and-Hyde of American capitalism. In the course of his nearly 98 years, Rockefeller was known as both a rapacious robber baron, whose Standard Oil Company rode roughshod over an industry, and a philanthropist who donated money lavishly to universities and...
More Description National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
From the acclaimed, award-winning author of Alexander Hamilton: here is the essential, endlessly engrossing biography of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.--the Jekyll-and-Hyde of American capitalism. In the course of his nearly 98 years, Rockefeller was known as both a rapacious robber baron, whose Standard Oil Company rode roughshod over an industry, and a philanthropist who donated money lavishly to universities and medical centers. He was the terror of his competitors, the bogeyman of reformers, the delight of caricaturists--and an utter enigma.
Drawing on unprecedented access to Rockefeller's private papers, Chernow reconstructs his subjects' troubled origins (his father was a swindler and a bigamist) and his single-minded pursuit of wealth. But he also uncovers the profound religiosity that drove him "to give all I could"; his devotion to his father; and the wry sense of humor that made him the country's most colorful codger. Titan is a magnificent biography--balanced, revelatory, elegantly written.