Synopses & Reviews
Andrew Carnegie stands next to J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller as one of the great business leaders in United States history. Immigrating from Scotland as a child, Carnegie rose from the slums of Pittsburgh to become a steel industry titan remembered for his many philanthropic endowments, ranging from free libraries to his work toward world peace.
Yet this complex man embodied the contradictions that divided America in the Gilded Age. Was he truly the tyrant that many thought him to be, a ruthless robber baron who worked his men to death for his own personal gain . . . or was there more to this man who gave away his immense fortune, who has at times been invested with the virtues of a saint?
The first full biography of this industrialist and philanthropist in thirty years, Carnegie delves into the mind of a generous yet ruthless man who wore many masks throughout his life. Peter Krass captures the drama behind the building of Carnegies empire, revealing how he manipulated the rules of fair play and how he was a pioneer in philanthropy. He separates fact from the Carnegie legend by relying heavily on diaries, letters, and other writings by both primary and peripheral characters in Carnegies life as well as on the copious Carnegie-related archives.
Carnegie was devoted to his family and friends and believed himself to be a hero of the working people. But his actions bespoke internal conflict: he publicly supported the unionsand then wallowed in riches while his laborers struggled to meet their daily needs. From Carnegies meager beginnings to his multimillion-dollar fortune, Krass takes a probing, insightful look into what inspired and moved this contradictory business giant.
Review
.""..the book looks like a Tom Clancy novel and anyone who likes those should be pleased with it..."" (Independent on Sunday, 1 December 2002)
""A superb new account of the legendary industrialist and philanthropist's life... timely, balanced... revealing."" --""Barron's""
.""..Krass provides a detailed thorough and thoughtful appraisal of a major figure..."" (Times Higher Educational Supplement, 14 November 2003)
Synopsis
One of the major figures in American history, Andrew Carnegie was a ruthless businessman who made his fortune in the steel industry and ultimately gave most of it away. He used his wealth to ascend the world's political stage, influencing the presidencies of Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt. In retirement, Carnegie became an avid promoter of world peace, only to be crushed emotionally by World War I.
In this compelling biography, Peter Krass reconstructs the complicated life of this titan who came to power in America's Gilded Age. He transports the reader to Carnegie's Pittsburgh, where hundreds of smoking furnaces belched smoke into the sky and the air was filled with acrid fumes . . . and mill workers worked seven-day weeks while Carnegie spent months traveling across Europe.
Carnegie explores the contradictions in the life of the man who rose from lowly bobbin boy to build the largest and most profitable steel company in the world. Krass examines how Carnegie became one of the greatest philanthropists ever known-and earned a notorious reputation that history has yet to fully reconcile with his remarkable accomplishments.
About the Author
PETER KRASS lives in Hanover, New Hampshire, but his family roots are in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area where Andrew Carnegie made his fortune and where his great-grandfather worked in a Carnegie steel mill. His other books include The Book of Business Wisdom, The Book of Leadership Wisdom, and The Book of Investing Wisdom, all published by Wiley. Krass has contributed articles to Investor's Business Daily and Across the Board.
Table of Contents
Preface.
1. Flesh and Blood.
2. Odyssey to America.
3. $1.20 a Week.
4. The Scotch Devil.
5. Tree of Knowledge.
6. Blood Money and Black Gold.
7. An Iron Coup.
8. Many Hands, Many Cookie Jars.
9. Bridges to Glory.
10. Epiphany of Legend.
11. Template for Domination.
12. Rekindling the Flame.
13. War against the Steel Aristocracy.
14. An Attack on Britain.
15. Bleeding Hearts and Bleeding Newspapers.
16. Patronizing the Peasants.
17. The Pale Horse and the Gray Dress.
18. Gospel of Conscience.
19. Rewards from the Harrison Presidency.
20. Prelude to Homestead.
21. The Homestead Tragedy.
22. The Great Armor Scandal.
23. Seeking a Measure of Peace.
24. Illegal Rebates and a Fight with Rockefeller.
25. A Point of Disruption and Transition.
26. The Crusades.
27. UnCivil War.
28. The World's Richest Man.
29. Tainted Seeds.
30. Human Frailty.
31. The Peace Mission Begins.
32. The Metamorphosis of Andrew Carnegie.
33. Covert Deal with Taft.
34. The Last Great Benefaction.
35. House of Cards.
36. The War to End All Wars.
The Carnegie Legacy.
Notes.
Selected Bibliography.
Acknowledgments.
Index.