Andrew Carnegie is a incredible, detailed, yet eminently readable biography of the self-made man, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919). This book was written by David Nasaw, a Distinguished Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and the author of The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst, Going Out: The Rise and Fall of Public Amusements, and Children of the City: At Work and At Play. This audio edition of Andrew Carnegie is expertly read by Grover Gardner and is presented on 4 MP3 CDs that run approximately 33 hours!
Carnegie was the epitome of a self-made man. Born in Scotland, Carnegie headed to America where he started his career in business as an uneducated bobbin boy in a cotton factory. He went on to become one of the richest, and most influential business tycoons in the world. In this fascinating book, Nasaw chronicles Carnegie's rise, from his ennoble beginning to the pinnacle of his success where he became known as a quixotic philanthropist who wanted to give away all his money during his own life time, while at the same time being unflinchingly hard-nosed when it came to settling labor unrest or eliminating his competitors.
Carnegie rose to be one of the riches men of his day, and as such he played an influential role in politics, economics, and social issues. He was single minded in his pursuit of money, yet also an idealist when it came on how he could put that money to use. In this book Nasaw captures the true nature of Carnegie, and separates out the truth from the fiction about this robber-baron turned activist for world peace. There is a great deal of new information presented in Andrew Carnegie, much of it garnered from Carnegie's own letters and papers. As such, this is the most up-to-date and detailed biography of this enigmatic industrialist who has left a lasting impression on the American psyche. In addition, Nasaw presents a picture of not only Carnegie's public life, but his personal life as well.
Andrew Carnegie is a massive and monumental biography that will enchant general readers and academicians alike.
Related Reviews:
Jack: Straight From the Gut, by Jack Welch with John A. Bryne.
In this autobiography, Jack Welch offers the reader an overview of his life and his career. But mostly, this book concerns Welch's twenty year tenure as CEO of General Electric (GE). And along the way it provides telling insights into Welch's management style and leadership qualities, which helped he turn GE into a global powerhouse.
They Made America, by Harold Evans.
>From the Steam Engine to the Internet Revolution: Two Centuries of Innovators.
