Andrew Carnegie

The blurb "as thick and densely-packed as a rail of steel" would fit nicely on the back cover of this book, I think. Blurbs aside, Wall writes well and seems to have an exceedingly good handle on every aspect of Andrew Carnegie's life. The beginning is slow to get going but as momentum builds, the author's use of source material, insightful opinions, and historical detail provides a portrait of Carnegie that would be impossible to glean from a smaller study. This is a book designed for scholars that is written well enough for a layperson. It is, however, a commitment: one to the tune of about 1000 pages. Black coffee, comfortable chair, good reading light, and an overwhelming interest in the life of Andrew Carnegie are all suggested before turning over the first page. The theme that Wall works with is: To understand the public man, the reader needs to know the private man. And vice versa. The author never states this but as can be assumed by the length of this study, the book is intended to be encyclopedic. It lives up to the promise. Wall takes the reader through Carnegie's life in Dunfermline, his early radical leanings, immigration to America, the Pennsylvania Railroad years, steel, the Bessemer process, his Spencerian thoughts and other writings, Homestead, selling out to J. P. Morgan, and, of course, early and late philanthropy. That is a brief overview. Also included are portraits of major and minor characters in Carnegie's life. Writing about these people and events, the author exposes aspects of Carnegie that seem brilliant, tragic, comedic, stubborn, hypocritical, and downright cold-hearted; in some cases, such as the events surrounding the Homestead strike, all at the same time. Did I mention that this book is encyclopedic? Public and private correspondence, newspaper articles, books, financial records, and historical economic figures are quoted judiciously but often. Be prepared to work for your understanding. Wall is a terrific tour guide, however, and if you enjoy the level of detail David McCullough presents in his biographies, you will be comfortable with what is offered here. The payoff of all of this research and writing is an understanding of Andrew Carnegie and the Gilded Age that few other texts could hope to provide. In an age when most of the robber barons (or "empire builders" as Wall prefers) were boring in their personal life, Carnegie is by far one of the most interesting. This book has a lot of qualities to recommend it but is not intended for the casual historian. Also recommended: PBS American Experience: Andrew Carnegie.

This book is finest, most comprehensive, and exciting biography ever written about Carnegie. No Carnegie biography, before or since, has ever approached the excellence of Wall's masterpiece. In fact, this might even be one of the greatest books ever written. Despite the fact that it runs to more than 1100 pages, Wall manages to tell the story and not waste a single word. This is not just a biography of Carnegie. It is also a window into another world. We see the Industrial Revolution up close and we meet the characters who actually shaped and maintained Carnegie's empire, including Henry Clay Frick, Captain William Jones, and Charles Schwab. Carnegie's relationships with contemporaries such as Herbert Spencer, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Mellon, and at least seven US Presidents are explored as well. The reader will be fascinated with the story, which reads like a work of fiction. Carnegie's rise conincides with the rise of the US as a world power. His success mirrored the nation's and he contributed in no small way to the propserity of the republic in which he thrived. A must read for any Carnegie student and a strongly recommended read for the novice as well.

Joseph Frazier Wall's one-volume biography "Andrew Carnegie" is a "must read" for anyone interested in early American industrial development. However, just as Carnegie's life was much more than simply the story of steel production, so too is this biography. It is a fascinating look at the half-century of American history between the Civil War and World War I.Andrew Carnegie was one of the most intriguing characters of late nineteenth century America. Born into a politically active although socio-economically humble family in Scotland, Carnegie possessed a passion for advancement and material wealth that propelled him to the forefront of the industrial world. Rising from Pittsburgh telegraph message boy to protege of Pennsylvania Railroad executive Tom Scott to capitalist investor and finally steel magnate in a decade-and-a-half, Carnegie was the very embodiment of the Horatio Alger hero popularized at that time.Although he shared the same business philosophy of using retained earnings for growth rather than dividends as John D. Rockefeller and other titans and he exhibited a personal drive and sense of destiny common to other leading trust-builders, Carnegie was in one particular way very different from his peers. He was a deeply cerebral man, very well-read and able to compose thoughtful essays on some of the most pressing and challenging political and economic issues of his time. His written defense of the gold standard was used by Mark Hanna to promote McKinley's stance against the bi-metallism of William Jennings Bryan in the crucial 1896 election; his thoughts on central banking influenced Wilson's policies in creating the Federal Reserve System; and Carnegie was one of the very first argue for a permanent League of Nations to work for arbitration of international disputes. His close personal friends were British liberals, renowned philosophers such as Herbert Spencer and other members of the intellectual elite on both sides of the Atlantic, not fellow industrialists or business associates like Henry Clay Frick or Henry Phipps who cared little for politics and even less for the recondite subjects that intrigued Carnegie.Wall weaves these diverse cords of Carnegie's life into a masterful biography that succeeds as much as a social, political and business history of his time as it does in critically examining the complex character, beliefs, and relationships of an extraordinary man. Wall is certainly sympathetic to Carnegie and his achievements, but overall "Andrew Carnegie" is extremely objective and the author doesn't hesitate to highlight his subject's personal foibles, convenient lapses of memory, and vanity.At over one thousand pages in length the paperback is physically imposing and can at times bog down in detail, but Wall's lucid writing style and often sardonic wit make it a fast and enjoyable read.

Exhaustively researched, well written. This book starts a little slow but as the biography plays out you understand why the author took the direction he did and applaud. By the end of the book you not only understand why Carnegie did what he did but have a unique picture of life in the gilded age. One of the few biographies I have read where the author is insightful but does not interfere with reality. If you are interested in the robber barons, the gilded age, Carnegie or just unique human beings, start here. You will be rewarded.

This book is an outstanding account of the life of Andrew Carnegie, one of the greatest philanthropists and capitalists ever. The book is long but brilliantly written and an enthralling read. Wall has painstakingly researched Carnegie and added considerably to knowledge of the man. His central thesis is that Carnegie's life was a continuing attempt to reconcile his radical Scottish childhood with "the paramountcy he achieved within the American plutocracy as an adult". Wall's approach is generally sympathetic but he is not afraid to be critical when needed, especially over the Homestead strike. The whole of Carnegie's life is in this book, and each part of his life story is properly placed in its historical context. I learned an enourmous amount about the politics and economics of USA and Britain in the late 19th and early twentieth century, but most of all I learned about Carnegie, a man who got as rich as Bill Gates in his day and gave it all away. When you consider that he sold his interest in Carnegie Steel for over $250m in 1901 and start to think about inflation since then you will see what I mean. Read this book and find out how he did it. It is hard to believe that one man could achieve so much in one lifetime. I am not an academic and only have a lay interest in history but would recommend this to anyone. Haven't you ever wondered about Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Libraries or Carnegie Trusts? I now want to visit Pittsburgh and Skibo to see where it all happened.