The Tycoons

How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy

By: Charles R. Morris

Narrated by: William Hughes

The modern American economy was the creation of four men: Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan. They were the giants of the Gilded Age, a moment of riotous growth that established America as the richest, most inventive, and most productive country on the planet.

Acclaimed author Charles R. Morris vividly brings these men and their times to life. The ruthlessly competitive Carnegie, the imperial Rockefeller, and the provocateur Gould were obsessed with progress, experiment, and speed. They were balanced by Morgan, the gentleman businessman, who fought, instead, for a global trust in American business. Through their antagonism and verve, they built an industrial behemoth—and a country of middle-class consumers. The Tycoons tells the incredible story of how these four determined men wrenched the economy into the modern age, inventing a nation of full economic participation that could not have been imagined only a few decades earlier.

©2005 Charles R. Morris (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Good book about the late 19th century

The book provides a great description of the latest decades of the 19th century and the beginning of the following one. It describes how the companies and stories of these tycoons cross each other. As a bonus, the lag chapter has a very good overview on Taylor and his influence. My only points are that the book cover the overall scenario too much and provides much less than expected by me about the main figures.

Well written & Narrated

The author has woven together a fascinating mix of history & business; providing a compelling tale of several of America's first large business tycoons. The narrator holds your attention and makes it easy & comfortable to listen to the story.

Not nearly as good as I expected.

I watched a 3 4 or 5 part tv special on the original tycoons and it was incredible. This was extremely boring I can’t believe I finished it. I was trying so hard to think it would get better.. then it just ends. Keep looking ...

Half full

Solid read. Seems to assume a certain knowledge base for the reader. How Morgan accumulated wealth and capital, for example, isn’t clear. For a reader seeking a detailed understanding of the characters, there is much left to be learned. Ownership structures, fees, and impacts are often overlooked when important deals are discussed. Leaves me wanting more despite the sufficient length.

Has it moments but too long and too much details

Some parts are very interesting and educational but some parts are too long and simply boring. The author goes into such a small details like prices of commodities and stocks at specific years. Only recommended for real history buffs, and be ready to skip a chapter here and there.

great read

this book goes into far more detail then just the names listed , there is great detail on the industrial revolution at lengnth I would definitely recommend this book

In my opinion...

This book is well performed with a very compelling story, but gets very tedious at times.

Great book

We all hear about the Titans, but this book gets you to meet the middle men if you will, that helped build modern day business.

Deeply disorganized but full of important info

A book in desperate need of an editor, that said, if I were teaching a class on the history of American industry I might assign it. Firstly there's the title, which is misleading, as while the book covers those 4 big guys, it's not actually ABOUT them. They are 4 among a slew of individuals he presents who all deeply impacted how business was done in the US from the civil war through the 1980's. He explains how we went from a hot mess at the end of the civil war to the most productive country on the planet in the course of about 30 years, outpacing England who at the time had been the most productive; it's the same sort of "industrial economic miracle" first the Japanese and then the Koreans laid claim to starting in the 1970's. And he also points out some of the reasons we fell behind. At the end of the book he talks about the rise of professional managers, the guys who get paid huge bucks to manage industries they know almost nothing about based on having MBA's from places like Harvard or the kellogg business school, and how the Japanese rubbed our faces in all of that.

Excellent plunge into the era of giants of capital

I have read a number of reviews that suggested this book is dry and too choked with the inner workings of large industrial firms. Well, hey, folks, it's not a Tom Clancy novel. But given the topic of how the Industrial Revolution was harnessed and used to create the dynamic American economy we still enjoy, I found the writing to be engaging and quite effective in moving the narrative along. Sure, there is detail about production numbers and how steel chemistry evolved, but the specifics did not get in the way of the great sweep of events that is described. The vignettes of the Carnegie, Rockeller, Jay Gould, and JP Morgan were fascinating and most enlightening. I learned a great deal and enjoyed the trip. Well worth the read.