A biography of America's first billionaire, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., drawing from Rockefeller's personal papers to provide information about his rustic origins, his creation of Standard Oil, his often controversial business tactics, and his personal relationships and attributes.
John D. Rockefeller, Sr., - history's first billionaire and the patriarch of America's most famous dynasty - is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians. Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller's exceptionally rich trove of papers.
Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America.
Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: …
A biography of America's first billionaire, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., drawing from Rockefeller's personal papers to provide information about his rustic origins, his creation of Standard Oil, his often controversial business tactics, and his personal relationships and attributes.
John D. Rockefeller, Sr., - history's first billionaire and the patriarch of America's most famous dynasty - is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians. Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller's exceptionally rich trove of papers.
Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America.
Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grand-scale collusion with the railroads, predatory pricing, industrial espionage, and wholesale bribery of political officials. The titan spent more than thirty years dodging investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay.
While providing abundant new evidence of Rockefeller's misdeeds, Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch an unforgettably human portrait of a quirky eccentric original.
OK, this was a massive book. Took me a long while to finish it, however I have to say the author did an outstanding work, this was one of most thorough biography works I've read. A deep investigation into the many sides of Rockefeller's life; private, family, business. From a look into his upbringing all through his descendants' lives. I learned a lot about this man's life, the bad and the good.
Excellent work by Ron Chernow, for anyone interested in the life of John D. Rockefeller, the man that changed the world in industry, philanthropy, and built the biggest fortune in history by his time; this is the definitive one.
Titan delves into the history and psyche of John Rockefeller, one of the most enterprising individuals in the history of business.
Chernow does an excellent job of presenting an objective view of the controversial figure, explaining his reasoning without apologizing for his actions. Rockefeller planned for philanthropy from the beginning; "I believe it is my duty to make money and still more money and to use the money I make for the good of my fellow man according to the dictates of my conscience." He used his noble goals as an impenetrable moral shield from his critics, immediately shutting out anyone who made objections to his questionable (and now, illegal) actions.
Still, this is ultimately a very long book about an oil tycoon. If that doesn't sound interesting, you'll hate the book. It's 650 very large pages with very small type. In an effort to provide the most comprehensive view …
Titan delves into the history and psyche of John Rockefeller, one of the most enterprising individuals in the history of business.
Chernow does an excellent job of presenting an objective view of the controversial figure, explaining his reasoning without apologizing for his actions. Rockefeller planned for philanthropy from the beginning; "I believe it is my duty to make money and still more money and to use the money I make for the good of my fellow man according to the dictates of my conscience." He used his noble goals as an impenetrable moral shield from his critics, immediately shutting out anyone who made objections to his questionable (and now, illegal) actions.
Still, this is ultimately a very long book about an oil tycoon. If that doesn't sound interesting, you'll hate the book. It's 650 very large pages with very small type. In an effort to provide the most comprehensive view of Rockefeller possible, Chernow goes far, far beyond "verbose" to the point that it's hard to read.
