Andrew Carnegie

by David Nasaw

A National Book Critics Circle Award-nominated biographer chronicles the life of the iconic business titan from his modest upbringing in mid-1800s Scotland through his rise to one of the world's richest men, offering insight into his work as a peace advocate and his motivations for giving away most of his fortune. 120,000 first printing.

Genres: Biography, History, Business, Nonfiction, American History, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

896 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2006

About the author

David Nasaw is an American author, biographer and historian who specializes in the cultural, social and business history of early 20th Century America. Nasaw is on the faculty of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he is the Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. Professor of History.
In addition to writing numerous scholarly and popular books, he has written for publications such as the Columbia Journalism Review, American Historical Review, American Heritage, Dissent, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, The London Review of Books, and Condé Nast Traveler.
Nasaw has appeared in several documentaries, including The American Experience, 1996, and two episodes of the History Channel's April 2006 miniseries 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America: "The Homestead Strike" and "The Assassination of President McKinley". He is cited extensively in the US and British media as an expert on the history of popular entertainment and the news media, and as a critic of American philanthropy.

Reviews

[Jan-Maat]

This is a solid biography that raises a crucial question that it never answers. As a result it has a very interesting subject but for the wrong reasons.

I will declare an interest. As a little lad every Saturday morning I'd shoulder my green satchel and set off to my nearest library to exchange my borrowed books. My nearest library then was the Lambeth Carnegie library since my legs were short then this still involved the long march down Fawnbrake Avenue pass the Monkey puzzle tree but since Nationalists didn't control the intersections during daylight hours it was safe enough at night perhaps the Kuomintang reestablished control over strategic waypoints on the path to the library - it was hard to know - at the time I'd have been in bed with the bed lamp on reading library booksendowed by the subject of this book and still standing in red brick and yellow stone although I think it is no longer a library but instead a contentious local issue and potentially on the way to becoming a gymnasium or something which for the classical Greeks would have been fine and appropriate no doubt . I'll come back to the libraries later.

The question is how did Carnegie get rich. If Carnegie is the embodiment of the American Dream this is important. The implication is, and apparently there is a lacuna in the evidence, that Carnegie was set up to be a sleeping partner in a railway company (obviously insider dealing was involved, this was the 19th century after all) and then took advantage of the capital/security this gave him. In other words to succeed you don't need hard work and application, you need someone to give you a handful of magic beans.

Carnegie was not a source of creativity in the steel industry as the book makes clear. Rather his access to capital was his competitive advantage - he was able to buy successful steelworks and subsidiary industries, buy expertise, buy patent security, buy political support for armaments projects that required steel and to break strikes. Hard work and application make a Frick (though he got shot for his efforts along the way). Magic beans however make you a titan of industry.

Clearly I benefited from Carnegie's philanthropy. However I can't help feeling that once you've accrued a certain amount of wealth that giving it away becomes a more interesting past time than accumulating more it particularly when giving it away involves asserting your superiority over other people and institutions, here I will point out that the cover features a very small man wearing a very tall hat. Local authorities had to ask Carnegie for the money for the capital investment to build the libraries, but in order to get it had to demonstrate that they would fund the running costs. By the late 1970s, early 1980s when I was going to the library I should think that what had been spent on the operating costs was comfortably in excess of the capital cost of construction. However this the story of a Plutocrat deciding how an elected authority should spend it's money. While I'm happy about the object of investment I'm disturbed at the principle. The power game seems apparent when relatively modest endowments at time of construction would have paid for maintenance, stock and staff, particularly as he was earning money faster through earned interest than he could give it away.

It is more troubling to think that the money was generated through the long working hours and low wages of his employees and that he didn't invest in libraries in those communities where possibly the children of those employees could have studied, improved themselves and escaped poverty or made more of a contribution to the economy. But then philanthropy is a form of conspicuous consumption, the potlatch winner.

Reading between the lines the nature of 19th century capitalism is clear - access to capital is everything. Being a cheery telegraph boy who looks as though he can keep his mouth shut doesn't hurt either.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am certainly glad to have read this book. I had no idea that I would come to first loathe the man and then pity him. Read the book and find out why.

Andrew Carnegie (1835 – 1919) was born in Dunfermline, Scotland. His father, a weaver made jobless by industrialization, moved the entire family to Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1848. The father having little ambition and the family meagre income, Andrew, being the oldest son, began work as a bobbin boy. He worked his way up to telegraph messenger, then telegraph operator. Both Andrew and his mother had higher visions and plans. We follow his path year by year. Self-made, he became a steel tycoon and robber baron, a man of letters and at the age of 66 after retiring Andrew had become the world’s wealthiest man. Following the doctrine of philosopher Herbert Spencer, he dedicated the remaining years of his life to philanthropy and peace.

As steel tycoon he was ruthless and pushed his men to the utmost, showing no compassion or understanding for workers. His goal in life to make as much money as possible so he could return it to the poor is blind to the fact that what a worker wants is not a gift or an endowment or access to a library, but decent wages enabling adequate living standards! While others are slaving away, he (Andrew) who is so intelligent, clever and wise worked only a few hours a day! He traveled, entertained, owned sumptuous houses and accoutrements, read, wrote and gave speeches lecturing others on the proper way of living. He was so full of himself, self-satisfied, ebullient and jocular, but totally unaware of the fact that he was a total pain in the butt to the dignitaries, presidents, and emperors whom he saw as his equals. His behavior is pitiful to observe! Pitiful also because his optimistic enthusiasm in support of arbitration and negotiation, for a League of Peace and a World Court fell on deaf ears. Not a soul was listening.

A hypocrite and an idealist. He adored adulation. This book shows you the whole man. We see what he does, how he acts and what he says, year by year. The chapters move forward chronologically a few years at a time. The research is thorough and not one-sided. At times the information included is excessive. Many quotes are provided both about Carnegie and by him. We lean about the man from how he expresses himself. The author does comment on the veracity of that said, but occasionally I would have appreciated further analysis.

On completion of the book there remain for me some questions. What was it that induced Carnegie while still young to give away his riches? We are referred to his ardent support of Herbert Spencer, but is that the whole explanation? I think he had an inner need to be looked up to, to be exalted and to be praised. What is the cause of this? Secondly, I wish Andrew’s relationship with his mother had been more thoroughly analyzed. He married in 1887 at the age of 52 and only after her death. What is the explanation for the hold she had on him?

The audiobook is narrated by Grover Gardner. I liked it a lot, so four stars. It is easy to follow and clear. He neither dramatizes nor uses separate intonations for family members or friends.

Andrew Carnegie Is not your normal person. We are all aware of his philanthropy but here is the man behind the deeds. It takes a while to read this book, and you are sure to get annoyed, but I think it is worth reading.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be continued.

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consumed this 800 page biography at home and while traveling in trains and planes. It’s a huge book on a character whose name we now associate mostly with a few buildings and charity foundations. It was a long slog to consume – but the main reason I managed to complete it is the wonderful and lucid writing of the author – David Nasaw. Throughout we are given a lively picture of the era and the personalities – from Andrew Carnegie, his mother, wife and daughter, his several business partners (such as Henry Clay Frick), and to the Presidents he sought to influence.

We follow Andrew Carnegie from a poor family that emigrated from Scotland to the U.S. (Pittsburgh) – and how he became a rich businessman – very rich. Overall I found him to be a quirky fellow. But he was no dour Scotsman – he was very talkative on a great range of subjects and was forever optimistic. He formed lasting friendships easily, mostly with men.

He had his mother live with him until she died in 1886, when he was 50 years old. Up to that time he had been pursuing, on and off, Louise Whitfield for several years. They finally married in 1887, she was 30 and he was 51. Their first and only child (Margaret) was born in 1897. Part of what I am trying to point out is that the guy, who was a millionaire several times over and would be quite ruthless in his business dealings – did not want to unsettle the relationship he had with his mother, by marrying the woman he loved.

Carnegie always seemed to be flying at a very high altitude above his factories - especially his iron and steel workers. He could not see the drudgery of their lives. He himself was very careful to not overwork himself – and was perpetually on vacations, whether in Europe or in the U.S. Carnegie was a traveling phenomenon - and crossed the Atlantic several times – and did one world tour. He was constantly advising his business associates of the importance of time off – and often would take them on his jaunts (all expenses paid for). But not his factory workers, who he kept on a 12 hour day, seven days a week. At one point the unions succeeded in getting an 8 hour day. Carnegie then proceeded to crush the unions – and it was back to lower salaries and a 12 hour day. Carnegie was no friend of the worker – but he was totally oblivious to this – thinking that he was beloved by them because he gave them employment.

Possibly he felt his donations, the building of libraries and philanthropies, made up for this. Many buildings, in Pittsburgh and New York, bare his name. The author does not explore the idea that Carnegie sought to immortalize himself through these grandiose structures. Many libraries in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. were started and funded by Carnegie. Interestingly he also believed that wealth should not be inherited – that it should be given away (or otherwise to be taxed by the government).

After he retired in the 1890’s (J.P. Morgan bought off his iron and steel companies) Andrew Carnegie became a tireless crusader for world peace. This is commendable. But like many business people who become involved in politics he overestimated his influence; perhaps not realizing that politicians would not behave like his salaried business partners. Presidents, like Teddy Roosevelt, became irritated of Carnegie’s sometimes fawning and other-times unstoppable flow of advice. Carnegie did not realize that he was being scorned and ridiculed behind his back. Mark Twain, a friend of Carnegie, also was given to caustic remarks.

The author gives a wide canvas – but as mentioned, the length is excessive.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://thebestbiographies.com/2020/0...

“Andrew Carnegie” by Davis Nasaw was published in 2006 and was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. Nasaw is the Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Professor of History at City University of New York. Among his most widely-read books are biographies of Joseph P.Kennedy (which I read and reviewed last year) and William Randolph Hearst.

The ideal biography requires several crucial ingredients. Among them are an intriguing biographical subject, a skilled writer, a robust supply of primary source material and an author capable of diligent and determined research. This scholarly and often gripping biography of Andrew Carnegie provides each of these items in abundance.

Using sources not available to earlier biographers, Nasaw skillfully stitches together a seamless and comprehensive narrative which explores his subject’s entire life. In these 801 pages of text, Nasaw paints an extraordinarily balanced and remarkably robust portrait of Carnegie…displaying his determination, financial acumen, personal passions, charitable predilections and his numerous faults and contradictions.

There is no consensus, however, as to whether Nasaw's biography surpassed Joseph Frazier Wall's 1970 classic as the definitive biography of Carnegie; at some point I will have to read the latter and decide for myself!

Among the book’s best features are its compelling introduction (one of the best I’ve ever encountered), a fascinating opening chapter which reviews Carnegie’s ancestry and chapters which recount his early years in Pittsburgh while working a variety of odd jobs. In addition, the description of Carnegie’s relationship with his future wife and as well as his relationships with Henry Clay Frick (a longtime business partner) and Herbert Spencer and Matthew Arnold (two English intellectuals) are excellent.

Like many irresistible biographical subjects, Carnegie’s personality is full of contradictions and the sharp contrast between the ruthless businessman and the famously generous and compassionate philanthropist is well articulated. In general, it often appears that Nasaw was able to uncover every interesting tidbit of Carnegie’s long and spirited life.

But for all its merit, this biography is not perfect. Many readers will find the book too lengthy and inconsistently engaging. It often seems as though Nasaw was reluctant to filter out mind-numbing minutiae in an attempt to leave no doubt this must be the definitive – and exhaustive – account of Carnegie’s life. In addition, the considerable focus on his non-business efforts (most notably his retirement-era crusade for world peace) feels overdone.

Overall, David Nasaw’s “Andrew Carnegie” is a remarkably detailed and often extremely interesting account of the life of a Scottish-American immigrant and capitalist who was likely the richest man in the world when he retired. Readers seeking swift and effortless tales of capitalist adventure will find the book too detailed and occasionally tedious. But for anyone who enjoys good writing underpinned by a fascinating subject and exceptional research…this book is likely to prove extraordinary.

Overall rating: 4¼ stars

[Carl Rollyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did Andrew Carnegie give away all of his money? This is the question that Carnegie's biographers have to confront. David Nasaw's authoritative new biography goes a long way toward answering the question, even if he cannot—perhaps no biographer can—ultimately fathom Carnegie's complex motives and temperament.

Mr. Nasaw deftly dismisses the conventional explanations. Carnegie did not feel guilty about accumulating a vast fortune. He did not feel he had earned his wealth immorally, let alone illegally. J.P. Morgan's claim that Carnegie became the richest man in the world when he sold his steel corporation to Morgan did not embarrass Carnegie a bit. Carnegie did not build his famous public libraries or establish his endowments for peace and social welfare as public relations ploys. Long before he became a controversial public figure, during a period when he was regarded as a pro-union supporter of the workingman and a rebuke to the robber barons of the Gilded Age, he had resolved to divest himself of his capital.

Mr. Nasaw's probes Carnegie's personality and philosophy — which Carnegie wrote up as "The Gospel of Wealth" — to describe an individual who believed he owed his good fortune to his community, a key term in the Carnegian lexicon. Unlike many self-made men (Carnegie was the son of a feckless Scottish weaver), he did not claim he had succeeded through hard work and genius. Carnegie scoffed at businessmen who put in 10- and 12-hour days. Even at the height of his involvement in business, Carnegie rarely spent a full day in his office. He disliked the go-getter mentality and counseled his fellow Americans to make opportunities for leisure. Carnegie loved to travel, read, attend the theater, and generally absorb culture, which he regarded not as a frill but as a necessity.

Carnegie headed for the country's cultural capital, New York City, as soon as he could break away from commitments in Pittsburgh, where he had begun his rise as a messenger boy and telegraph operator before graduating to Pennsylvania railroad executive positions. Pittsburgh had set him up to sell bonds and form partnerships in the iron and steel industries based on insider trading (not yet designated a crime or even considered immoral). What Mr. Nasaw dubs "crony capitalism" formed the basis of Carnegie's success.

But the ebullient Carnegie — one associate called him the happiest man he had ever met — had literary aspirations and quoted Shakespeare liberally. He befriended influential figures like Matthew Arnold and William Gladstone, not to mention the man who became his philosophical mentor, Herbert Spencer. Indeed, Spencer and Shakespeare went hand in hand for Carnegie to the point that he could close a deal quoting either writer.

Herbert Spencer, Mr. Nasaw believes, is the key to Carnegie's decision to give away his money. Spencer believed in evolutionary progress and that the "apogee of human achievement was industrial society," Mr. Nasaw writes. "What counted most for Carnegie was not simply that Spencer had decreed that evolutionary progress was inevitable and industrial society an improvement on its forbears, but that this progress was moral as well as material." Businessmen like Carnegie were not the creators of this progress but its agents. They arose out of the community that fostered their efforts.

In Carnegie's view, Spencer was not merely presenting ideas. For him, Spencer's notions were laws, and so in "The Gospel of Wealth," Carnegie refers to the "Law of Accumulation of Wealth" and the "Law of Competition." In this positivist reading of history, Carnegie met the world head-on — very much as he does in the evocative photograph on the cover of Mr. Nasaw's biography. Carnegie is shown walking toward us, open to whatever experience has to teach him. Naturally, then, he argued that he should give back what the world had, in effect, bestowed upon him. So certain was Carnegie that great wealth must be redistributed that he even argued against the notion of inheritance for children of the wealthy. Let them, as well, meet the world head-on.

With so much empathy for his community, then, how could Carnegie have consorted with Henry Clay Frick, a notorious and brutal strikebreaker? Unions, Carnegie concluded, did not understand that the Spencerian world, had periods of downs as well as ups—as Mr. Nasaw's illustrates in his redaction of the philosopher:

"It seems hard than an unskillfulness which with all his efforts he cannot overcome, should entail hunger upon the artisan," Herbert Spencer had written, almost as if he were advising Carnegie not to give in to the demands of employees. "It seems hard that a labourer incapacitated by sickness from competing with his stronger fellows, should have to bear the resulting privations. It seems hard that widows and orphans should be left to struggle for life or death. Nevertheless, when regarded not separately, but in connection with the interests of universal humanity, these harsh fatalities are seen to be full of the highest beneficence.

Or as Carnegie himself notes in the social Darwinist "The Gospel of Wealth" (included in a new Penguin paperback edited by Mr. Nasaw): "While the law may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it insures the survival of the fittest in every department." As you may already have gathered, Carnegie was a better stylist than Spencer.

But a mystery remains in the heart of Andrew Carnegie's heart. When he published "Triumphant Democracy," which essentially ignored the terrible suffering that Spencer's version of evolutionary progress entailed, Spencer himself wrote Carnegie: "Great as may be hereafter the advantages of enormous progress America makes, I hold that the existing generations of Americans, and those to come for a long time hence, are and will be essentially sacrificed." What did Carnegie say to that? Mr. Nasaw does not comment, except to say, "What mattered most was that he be taken seriously as a thinker and author."

In other words, Mr. Nasaw does not know what Carnegie thought of Spencer's rebuke. Instead of just shilling for capitalism, shouldn't Carnegie have explored its devastating consequences as well? Failure to do so deprived Carnegie of the very status of literary figure and thinker he craved.

Didn't Carnegie understand as much? And shouldn't Mr. Nasaw probe this fatal flaw? Instead, he writes that Carnegie "wore his many hats well." So he did, when he looked in his own mirror. But biography ought to reflect perspectives not available to the subject. Even where evidence is lacking, some rather sharp questions have to be asked of a subject who did so much good while refusing to acknowledge that it arose out of so much questionable philosophy.

[Joseph Sciuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the late 1970's while attending John Jay college of Criminal Justice I would have dinner every Friday night at this great little restaurant on 57th street and Park Ave. I always ordered the London Broil, which was simply the best, a couple of beers (back in 1978 in was legal to drink at eighteen, not that it would have stopped me either way) and after leaving a great tip, 3 dollars on a 7 dollar bill, I would walk across the street and look at the coming events at "Carnegie Hall," not that I could afford to go to any event but I did love looking and walking around this magnificant building.

After moving to California in the early eighties, I always remembered fondly the little restaurant with the wonderful London Broil... So much so that I brought my lovely wife there a few times while visiting New York, but never did I think of going across the street to "Carnegie Hall." Strange, because by that time I could have afforded tickets. In fact, I never even thought about "Carnegie Hall," or the man responsible for building the music hall, Andrew Carnegie, until some forty years later when I read David McCullough's "The Johnstown Flood" and Mr. Carnegie and his Steel company were mentioned in the book.

It was after reading Mr. McCullough's book that I decided to pick up the highly praised, extremely large biography named "Andrew Carnegie" by David Nasaw. To say that Mr. Carnegie was different, would be an understatement. At one point in his life he was considered the "richest man" in the world... The Steel business and a few shady deals paid really well.

To say that Mr. Carnegie was generous would be a large exaggeration. At the time of his death, he would have given away what would amount to the fortunes of Bill Gates and Jeff Bezo's combined. And who are those that benefitted from his largess: Libraries, he built over two thousand across the United States and the world... Museums, Schools, Music halls, Convention Centers, The Carnegie Foundation for World Peace, The Carnegie Foundation for Scientific Research, The Mount Wilson Observatory... And the list just keeps going on and on.

Mr. Carnegie's goal in life, after accumulating a massive fortune, was to give it all away before he died, and for the most part he did. He was far from a perfect man. In fact, the men that worked in his Steel Mills might not be very kind in their appraisal of the man.

Yet, his imprint on American and world cultures, his pursuit of world peace, and his relationships with Presidents of the United States makes him one of the most influential, if not controversial figures, of the last 150 years.

Joseph Conrad wrote, "That we go through life with eyes half closed," and in the case of Andrew Carnegie I passed through six decades with eyes fully closed because I have passed many of his cultural and scientific Institution that he had built and didn't take notice, which is amazing because they're everywhere.

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND this book.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rarely read anything that's not about early 19th Century, but, on a whim, I bought this recent biography about Andrew Carnegie;philanthropist, steel king and robber baron.
Carnegie was the proto-typical "poor boy made good" and was one of the richest men in the world. and he was a true conundrum; filthy rich, yet he thought it was his duty to give away as much as he could before he died to philanthropic causes. and, even though he did give away millions to those less fortunate, he had a general disdain for the poor, even those who wored in his steel mills!
This is a well written book! I came away with mixed feelings about Carnegie; I liked him but I also was disgusted by him.

[Henrik Haapala · Rating 5 out of 5]

• Only invest in companies you have investigated yourself.
• First dividend check; here’s the goose that lays the golden egg (24% interest).
• Andy took self-education seriously. He wanted to read widely because that was what a man and a citizen did, whether artisan or mechanic, clerk or merchant, Scottish or American. Book learning was a means toward, and a sign of, moral distinction. 45
• He borrowed a book a week as a “working boy” where he could, libraries were not as open to everybody as they are now. And you had to have money to buy books.
• Getting reading material at the time was difficult, he had to seek knowledge with focus.
• Sunny personality: Bridge recalled: ”He loved to find his own joy of living reflected by those about him. He was the most consistently happy man I ever knew.” 172

Andrew Carnegie started from a very poor background and became one of the richest people in the world, and he had to be the “father” of the family (oldest son) making money at an early age.

After his steel mills were making enormous amounts of money he simply distanced himself and travelled the world taking friends and family with him.

He invested with his partners (and mentor) when he had an edge in ways that are by completely legit today. He followed closely with his mentor.

Rising above through industry and energy: “Andy’s early career on the railroad replicated his first days as a telegraph operator. He ingratiated himself with supervisors, learned as much about the industry as possible, and did more than was expected if him.” 57

[Arminius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew Carnegie’s parents left Scotland due to a severe economic slump when America slid into recession and stopped buying imported Scottish Linen. Linen was the main industry of Dumfermline, Scotland. His father was a handloom weaver who was often out of work. So they decided to move to western Pennsylvania where relatives had emigrated years before in hopes of a better life.

Andrew was thirteen years of age when his family settled in Cresson, PA, near Pittsburgh. He was startled by the bustling cities activity and almost instantly saw the great potential of his new home.

With a father who still failed to get work, Andrew looked for his own job. He landed one in a factory. He soon afterwards found a better job. In the 1850’s, before telephones, messages were electronically wired to a telegraph machine in Morse code. An interpreter would translate the Morse code into text on sheets of paper. A messenger would then deliver this to the intended recipient. He applied for and received a messenger job at a busy office. He memorized streets and people so he became very quick at delivering these messages.

A point not to overlook was his affable personality. He was quite friendly and gregarious. On his deliveries he met a lot of people. But his intellect helped launch him into a promotion as the telegraphic operator, interpreting Morse coded messages.

This experience landed him a job as a telegraphic operator and assistant to Thomas Scott, one of the powerful Pennsylvania Railroad heads. He became a friend and confident of Thomas Scott. This relationship was the big break in Andrew’s life. Scott let Andrew into one of the best kept secrets of the rich in the late 1800’s –the stock market. Scott knew the best publicly held companies and always offered Andrew a piece of the pie. Andrew received tremendous dividend payments from these investments. He also earned a promotion to superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad. In this position, he learned all about the Rail Road.

After about three years he left the Rail Road and focused on buying companies that supported the Rail Road. So he bought Oil, Coal, and Iron businesses. He understood that steel was about to become a major U.S. industry. So he adroitly turned his energies to the Steel industry.

He knew that Steel would become one of world’s greatest assets so he created Edgar Thomas Steel works in Braddock, PA. In the 1860’s steel work was commanded by skilled workman who knew exactly how to mix the components to eradicate impurities. Correspondingly, these skilled workmen got paid what they wanted. Andrew heard of a new way which would strip this power from these skilled workmen. So he traveled to England where they were already using a process called the Bessemer process. This process involved containers which blew air through pig iron which expelled the impurities that the iron contained.

Andrew learned that he could keep tract of his businesses by accurate accounting. This led him into a life of semi retirement at the age of 40. He moved to New York and followed his company from accounting reports while letting his brother and others manage the company. While in New York he sought the company of the wealthy and educated. It seems that he had to prove himself in intellectual circles. He often debated his companions on various issues but always with humor and an agreeable attitude. He also pursued a career in the literary field writing a few books and numerous articles for magazines. He uncharacteristically wrote articles in support of unions. But while unions were fighting for eight hour days his workers were forced to work 12 hour days.

He traveled to Europe numerous times and caroused with Europe’s elite people. He not only wanted sophisticated friendships with these aristocrats but also knew these people could provide profitable business.

He often said he was lucky. In some ways he was right. But he was hard working and always fighting for the cheapest way to produce steel. He benefited from the protective tariffs of the 19th Century (which kept foreign steel out of America). He also benefited from the frenzy to use steel to produce railroad tracks which the U.S. government paid to him. This demand for steel by the U.S. government made him one of the wealthiest men in America.

As he aged he spent his living days trying to disperse his wealth throughout society. Two of his main philanthropic projects were the building of numerous libraries throughout the world and providing needed organs to many churches. He also set up and funded the Carnegie Institute for Science as well as museums. His one huge goal however was to establish World peace. He lobbied President Theodore Roosevelt, President Taft, Kaiser Wilhelm II and various English politicians to form a “League of Peace” in order to arbitrate conflicts between nations. All though they gave him an ear they never took him seriously. He was a pompous “know it all” and just as this attitude disturbed the greats of his day it left me with a slight dislike of this late 19th C and early 20th C titan.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the second half of the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century, Horatio Alger's rags-to-riches fanned the flames of the national myth that any person, no matter their economic background, could make it rich in the free market and opportunity-prone economy of the United States. While many scholars have focused on how mythical this was--the rich and privileged had obvious head starts and unique advantages over lower class Americans and less well-connected immigrants--Andrew Carnegie is a living embodiment of someone who came to America in poverty and became not only wealthy, but one of the wealthiest men in the world in his lifetime. Unlike other men of wealth, Carnegie did not preach the virtues of "hard work." In fact, as he earned money, climbed the economic ladder, and took more and more managerial roles, he worked less and less hours and made more and more money in a reverse ratio. He coined and promoted the "Gospel of Wealth" to describe how taking opportunities and getting lucky on timing is what really leads one to financial success. While he was a shrewd businessman to be sure, he tried to distance himself from [union] workers, because he did not have patience or sincere empathy for them. Instead he publicly made statements to the effect that he took their side--well-paid workers ensures the best quality work--while scheming behind the scenes to ensure financial viability (thus he would cut wages as needed but slide work hours from 8-12 hours a day so that the workers could still get "enough" money and he wouldn't lose out on production).

Born in Scotland, his family moved to Pennsylvania in the mid-nineteenth century. Carnegie moved from manual labor to technical work (sending/receiving telegraph messages) to managerial work seeing to the construction of telegraph lines and then railroad lines. His BIG money, however, first came with oil investments right before the Civil War when its use--replacing whale oil--was first being developed. From their he invested and heavily. Eventually he would best become associated with establishing--dominating more accurately--the steel industry in Pittsburg. He was a philanthropist, donating funds particularly for public libraries and theaters with the idea that high culture and learnedness should be offered to the lower classes for free that they might benefit therefrom. He spent a good chunk of his time traveling in Europe as well as selling bonds there. He always had ambitions to catch up on what he felt was a cultural illiteracy of European high arts so that he could be a world-class writer. He did not marry until his 50s and had one daughter. Overall, he was a complicated man. He made tons of money and lived a life without want but felt duty-bound (not religiously or guilt-driven however) to donate his wealth to education and public services. He benefitted tremendously from wartime demands for steel, oil, and other investment returns during the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian war, but he traveled and promoted his peace program in an attempt to prevent world war. This is a very interesting person, and David Nasaw has done an admirable job researching and crafting this biography.

*(pp. 1-255, 309-427)

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography of Carnegie, steel magnate, philanthropist and peace advocate.

Carnegie lived his own Gospel of Wealth, accumulating a fortune and then giving most of it away in his own lifetime. The contradiction of course is that he made his wealth by brutal treatment of his workers. A 12-hour day in a steel mill hardly encourages one to head to the library after work. Nasaw doesn't attempt to explain the contradiction. Rather he shows the incongruity over and over again through Carnegie's words and actions. He renders Carnegie a villain, sure; but also, and mainly, an ass.

This is reiterated in Carnegie's later years when, as peace advocate, he befriended men of power in both America and Great Britain. They all took his money, exchanged fawning correspondence with him, and then made fun of him behind his back. Samuel Clemens wrote of Carnegie, "He thinks he is a rude, bluff, independent spirit, who writes his mind and thinks his mind with an almost Fourth of July independence, whereas he is really the counterpart of the rest of the human race in that he does not boldly speak his mind except when there isn't any danger in it. He thinks he is a scorner of kings and emperors and dukes, whereas he is like the rest of the human race: a slight attention from one of these can make him drunk for a week and keep his happy tongue wagging for seven years." My, my, with friends like these.

After assailing William McKinley for what he perceived to be his imperialistic nature, he championed Theodore Roosevelt. Go figure. TR too took his money and heaped praise, but behind his back referred to "the male shrieking sisterhood of Carnegies." Leave it to Roosevelt, more than annoyed at Carnegie's Peace pestering, to capture the essence: "If Andrew Carnegie had employed his fortune and his time in doing justice to the steelworkers who gave him his fortune, he would have accomplished a thousand times what he has accomplished or ever can accomplish in connection with international peace." Ouch. And amen.

One error, writing that "Carnegie was delighted with Roosevelt's election in 1908", did not diminish this otherwise meticulously researched history of a very complicated man.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

My main bug with Nasaw’s Hearst bio was he treated his subject with more warmth than he deserved. Here, though, I think he’s a little more even-handed. You could always count on Hearst being a jerk, but Carnegie was a little more of a contradiction: a capitalist whose “employees labored, many of them for twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for less than a dollar and a half a day” (this, around the time of the 1892 Homestead lockout/strike), yet he sincerely felt he was labor’s best friend and advocate. Or that he was a robber baron who believed the more money he made, the more he could give away (he wound up being the world’s richest man and, yes, he gave away most of his wealth before his 1919 death).

Nasaw spends a lot of time, around a quarter of the book, on Carnegie’s retirement. His philanthropy kicks into high gear here, but so, too, do his efforts to bring about world peace, advocating “bilateral treaties of arbitration, international disarmament conferences, a permanent world court, and the organization of a league of peace with an active police force.” If I found this era of activism a little irritating, you can imagine how some contemporaries, including Presidents T. Roosevelt and Taft, felt about “the star-spangled Scot” (“peace crank” comes to mind).

To me these titan biographies are most interesting in the rise of the subject, and that’s the case here. My list of further reading includes a take on the Homestead tragedy and an overview of the Carnegie libraries (he funded construction of more than 2,500, including one which was my main library growing up in Pennsylvania).

[Clif · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing more fascinating than a life story. The dice are doubly thrown when sperm meets egg, first in the combination of genes through heredity, and at the same time in the time at which a life comes into being. At birth such powerful factors as temperament are already set, but what tests will temperament meet? Would the great people of one century be great if they were born in another? Almost certainly not. We are the result of our ancestry and also of our time.

There are some characteristics that are beneficial to success regardless of place and time - positive outlook, eagerness to do what is asked, curiosity, intelligence, dedication, etc. These are all things that Andrew Carnegie possessed. What employer doesn't like an employee who gets the job done quickly, thinks of ways to do the job better, puts those ideas to use and never complains?

Rags to riches stories, Carnegie's life being a perfect example, are not to be laughed at. Environment can be met and conquered. We all have to do it just to survive, but when the environment perfectly suits the personality, anything is possible. It's been said of some wealthy people that, were their source of wealth to be eliminated, they would soon be back in the money from another source. This is not fiction, though it is hardly the rule that most wealthy people would like to believe it is.

Author David Nasaw provides the perfect amount of commentary in this epic account of the fascinating life and times of a tiny (5 feet tall) but wonderfully personable man who was a giant of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Any biography needs a well informed author to intercede in her reporting of events to provide background, allowing the reader to fully appreciate the significance of whatever event in a life is being described. At the same time, the author cannot overshadow the individual about whom he writes. Finding the perfect balance, Nasaw makes this 850 page story a delight. You investigate U.S. history as you find out about the man.

Carnegie was overbearing in telling several U.S. presidents what to do and exactly how to do it, but was not one to trifle with as he had the attention and approval of the American public (not to mention his donations). His dedication after retirement to give away his fortune was popular, particularly since he did so in a very public way - donating over 1700 public library buildings and several times that many organs. In addition he started the teachers pension fund that we now know as TIAA and several foundations such as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that still operate today. Never at a loss for words, he delighted in answering reporters' questions and relentlessly appeared as a speaker before groups in the U.S. and Europe, where his sense of humor and direct manner always engaged his listeners.

Carnegie was a shrewd businessman. He vowed that he would never be part of any operation that he did not control and he kept his businesses closely held, owning the majority of stock (all privately held) himself. Though already wealthy before getting involved with steel, it was in steel that he became the wealthiest man in the world, due to his own excellent management that always poured earnings back into the company and kept his factories running to keep and win customers even when the market dropped and competitors stopped production. His ability to foresee the market for steel paid off again and again.

Yet he, like all of us, had blind spots. While he claimed that the market should rule, kept the wages of his workforce not a penny higher than that of his non-unionized competitors, and successfully eliminated unions from his factories, he hypocritically approved of the tariff on steel that protected his profits by keeping European competition out of the United States. He claimed to be a working man himself though he had only done manual labor for a year as a young man.

His relationship with Henry Clay Frick, who ran his steel and coke works while Carnegie spent the better part of each year, year after year, enjoying his estate in Scotland or traveling the world is almost a book within the book. Frick endured the sweat and stress and drew the hatred of working men during the infamous company vs labor confrontation at the Homestead mill, while Carnegie enjoyed the profits and gave the impression (a wrong one) that he was removed from the day to day decisions. Credit the telegraph with setting a wealthy man free.

He did not for a moment believe he was depriving the members of his labor force for his own benefit. Instead, he felt that his wealth was better spent (after he personally had all he wanted) on what he considered the public good (libraries, institutes, etc.). Were his men to have better wages, they would only squander it on foolish things such as women and drink. That the thousands of workers who produced his wealth had no say in this was of no matter. In such a way does rationalization work for the wealthy.

From his birth well before the Civil War to his death shortly after the First World War, Carnegie's life was exactly the one he wanted to live. He lacked nothing, enjoyed almost every day and was appreciated not only by the many people he befriended but also by the public at large. He was upbeat to a fault, fun to be with, a perfect and very willing host at his estate and likely to bring a smile to any face, if only for his gnomish appearance.

And I haven't even mentioned his work for world peace, a major part the book!

[Frank Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reader gets a real sense of Carnegie's personality from this book. Carnegie was extremely sociable, intelligent, funny, unassuming, and, in a less flattering light, repetitive and stubborn. Nasaw plumbs countless letters, diaries, newspaper articles, and business papers to come up with this complete and extensive picture of one of the most important personalities of the nineteenth century, and I'm glad he did.

Unfortunately the book is simply too long and too suffused with personal details. In fact, Carnegie's character seems so set in stone from an early age that by his 70s it seems unnecessary to quote numberless letters confirming his personal exuberance and optimism. Also, the extensive focus on his personal life (he and his wife's housekeeping, their travels, hobbies, etc.) detracts from a discussion of his more substantial contributions, to business and philanthropy.

Nasaw does show that the 5 foot tall Carnegie bestrode his era like a colossus. His Carnegie Steel Company dominated its industry, as well as railroad and skyscraper construction, for decades. This despite the fact that even though he worked his way up from a poor Scottish childhood, he never believed in excessive work and celebrated the life of leisure even as the leader of one of the world's largest corporations. He basically retired by age forty.

Still, he left numerous other fortunes in his wake, including that of his irascible and unsociable partner Henry Clay Frick, who Carnegie tried to treat like a son and friend but who turned away all of Carnegie's love. When JP Morgan bought out Carnegie Steel in 1901, absorbing it into US Steel, Carnegie found himself the owner of hundreds of millions of dollars in gold bonds that he then used to finance every philanthropic pursuit imaginable. Today there is still Carnegie Hall, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Carnegie-Mellon University, the Carnegie Libraries, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the Carnegie Corporation. There are few areas of modern life that his wealth did not touch. Yet Carnegie earned so much money from interest he barely managed to spend it as quickly as he earned it. Despite his best hopes, he still died a rich man. Today, his wealth and foundations live on.

His extensive influence means his life certainly deserves an expansive treatment, but I'm not sure this is one I would recommend.

[David Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a young boy I remember my sister taking me to the Carnegie Library in my home town. I wasn’t really it was called the Carnegie library and she told me that a rich man built libraries in cities all over the country. That building is now long gone but I remember thinking what kind of a man was Mr. Carnegie.

Carnegie’s story is one of the great stories in American history. A penniless 12-year-old Scottish immigrant in 1848. Only 12 years later he was already very prosperous. Carnegie’s assistant said, “He loved to find his own joy of living reflected by those about him. He was the most consistently happy man I ever knew.” Carnegie made friends easily and had a keen eye for which friends to make on the way up and which young men to teach when he himself had reached the top.

Making a colossal fortune was not enough for him. Unlike many of his capitalist brethren of that era, Carnegie had an intense need to improve the world. With little formal schooling, he read and wrote dozens of articles and books, including his autobiography, published the year after his death. His book “The Gospel of Wealth,” published in 1889, was a primer on the workings of political economy and an advice manual for actual and hopeful millionaires.

Despite his strong social conscience, he didn’t hesitate to have Henry Clay Frick do what was necessary to break the union at the Homestead Steel Works in 1892, damaging his reputation for years. Carnegie made steel cheaper than iron and soon buildings began to soar. In 1860 the United States produced only about 1,600 tons of steel. By 1900 the Carnegie Steel Company alone was producing more than the entire British steel industry. Carnegie’s formula for success simple, quickly adopt the latest technology so as always to be the low-cost producer, retain profits in good times to acquire during hard times.

Carnegie’s mother, who was a major influence in his life, lived with him until her death in 1886. The following year, at age 51,he married Louise Whitfield, who was two decades his junior and the daughter of a New York City merchant. The couple had one child, Margaret who died in 1990. During the last 18 years of his life, he gave away $350 million (roughly $5.2 billion) to many charities, foundations, and universities – almost 90 percent of his fortune.
Despite its length, this book is very engaging.

Quotes

“The growing disposition to tax more and more heavily large estates left at death is a cheering indication of the growth of a salutary change in public opinion. The State of Pennsylvania now takes–subject to some exceptions–one tenth of the property left by its citizens. The budget presented in the British Parliament the other day proposes to increase the death duties; and, most significant of all, the new tax is to be a graduated one. Of all forms of taxation this seems the wisest. Men who continue hoarding great sums all their lives, the proper use of which for public ends would work good to the community from which it chiefly came, should be made to feel that the community, in the form of the State, cannot thus be deprived of its proper share. By taxing estates heavily at death the State marks its condemnation of the selfish millionaire's unworthy life.”

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carnegie, gone for almost a century, continues to touch the lives of millions of people. He did not just build libraries, he solidified the public library movement by the requiring that cities tax themselves to maintain the gift. The landscape of Carnegie libraries across the world is stunning. While the buildings today are all but obsolete for library service, one wonders how this institution might have developed without his initial impetus. Carnegie made wise investments in the future. He left us not only the libraries but a whole host of educational and arts establishments, hero funds and institutes for the public good.

The paradox, of course, is how this man with so much generosity and foresight, made the money he gave to the future. In his youth, he is what we would call today a "chicken hawk" supporting the Civil War and hiring a replacement so he could sell railroad services to the Union. He began his fortune with what today would be the illegal "insider trading" that landed Martha Stewart and others in jail. His disowning (and denying memory of) his labor practices in interviews and hearings certainly suggests he knew the moral issues involved. While his employees worked 12 hour days (probably his manager Frick too) in industrial heat, he enjoyed a 4 hour day when he worked. We have heard of absentee landlords, here is the ultimate absentee. Nasaw points out his tariff protected profits grew exponentially, while his workers' incomes declined 67%.

Nasaw gives us, essentially, a reference book on this remarkable man. He came from poverty in Scotland where he was influenced by his Chartist uncles. Equal to his optimism, prescience on business, world events and the role of women, race, peace and disarmament, is his blind spot to the feelings of not just the underpaid and overworked mill workers but also those whom he trusts such as Frick, Taft and T. Roosevelt.

We get a small portrait of wife, Louise and gilmpse of their daughter, Margaret. Louise, in a pre-nup agrees to give away his/her fortune. We don't learn about successive generations. Mother and daughter are of interest, since, the philanthropy set their lives on a different course than their financial peers.

Biographers have to make decisions as to whether their book will be an interesting story for the general reader or a documentation of all that is unearthed. Nasaw achievement is that he has opted for documentation, and has put it together in a readable way. Many will pass it up for its length, but for another group, it will be a must read and keep. For the next biographer, whom I predict will delve into Carnegie's inner life this volume will undoubtedly serve as a road map.

I love the cover! The b & w photo, the robber barron attire and posture, and the kindly Santa Claus face! It's like he is staring out at you through the ages.

[Bill P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

while watching a history channel series on industrial titans of the 19th and early 20th century, it occurred to me that I owned a copy of this bio of Andrew Carnegie as they interviewed the author, David Nasaw as one of their talking heads. While my lasting impression of the history channel series was that it deserved very low marks,(they also used Donald Trump as one of their modern day talking heads, that alone disqualifies the series as any serious review of history)David Nasaw's book was pretty exhaustive in his coverage of Carnegie's life.

For most of the book, I harbored the impression that Carnegie was a delusional hypocrite and indeed his single minded drive to amass wealth so he could give it away later came at the cost of treating his workers as virtual captive slaves. He never seemed to understand or care that his laborers were actual human beings and his breaking of the Homestead strike was the clearest demonstration of just how callous and oblivous he was. He may have given the Pittsburgh people a beautful library, but they were never given a day off to visit it as he insisted on 12 hour days, seven days a week.

This is an 800 page tome, and it certainly took me a long while to get thru it. The other striking thing about Carnegie was that he spent the vast majority of his life, after amassing his wealth at a very early age, on vacation. All the time sending directives to his managers about how to break the unions, fire anyone who might protest those twelve hours days. As I said, an ultimate hypocrite.

Then Nasaw turns the tables abit as Carnegie in his later years, completely out of the steel business and in the business of giving away his money, turns his attention to trying to bring the principle nations to a mutal table in the name of peace. He works himself to exhaustion in the cause, and when World War 1 breaks out, his heart breaks and the reader finally really feels sympathy for him.


Not a casual read, but one with a strong message for all the hedge fund and wall street millionaires. if you make your money on the backs of those under your control or at your mercy, the world will remember you for the asshole you are.

[Michael Neno · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine there being a need for a more comprehensive biography of Andrew Carnegie, so hats off to David Nasaw for years of amazing research, compilation and detailed writing. Every era of Carnegie's rags-to-riches life is illuminated, with little commentary, judgement or the sort of psychoanalyzing used by lesser biographers.

Carnegie was once, arguably, the richest man in the world and the means to which he acquired his wealth, his strategic business tactics, complex relationships with working partners and varied interests in nearly all the arts makes for a fascinating tale. He gradually began giving away as much, and then more, money than he was making, and the list of institutes, organizations and philanthropic councils he created or provided seed money for is longer than can be tabulated here. Foremost was the money he gave for the building of libraries. In fact, the library from which I borrowed this biography was a "Carnegie library". (It's sad to consider how many of them have been torn down in the last hundred years or, as in the case of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, purged themselves of a substantial percentage of their book holdings).

Carnegie was far from admirable in some of his business tactics and Nasaw's books tells the good with the bad, building a portrait of a man full of contradictions, but one who, unlike many so-called robber barons, created a lasting legacy which continues to today. I'm looking forward to reading Nasaw's biography of William Randolph Hearst.

[Fred Forbes · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I drove through my hometown of Palmetto, FL, I noticed the Carnegie Library was closed for remodeling. It is now a museum located across from the current town library. I crossed the river into Bradenton and passed another Carnegie Library that is now a storage facility for county records. All I knew about Carnegie is that he was one of the 19th century "Robber Barons" who made his $millions in the steel industry. What prompted him to provide funds to build libraries all across the country? I decided to find out and purchased this book on my kindle.

You know that little number at the bottom of the page in a kindle that tells you what percentage of the book you have finished? After a brisk first hundred pages, it seemed to barely move at all. Read page after page and as the book became bogged down in repetitive trivial detail describing virtually every trip he ever took, every home he ever owned, every piece of correspondence or article but the completion percentage keeper barely changed. A tribute to the exhaustive research that obviously went in to this book but the resulting 800 page tome could certainly use some judicious editing. Another annoyance was the constant reference to photographs showing this or that, but the kindle version has no pictures to match the descriptions. Will have to check the print version to see, but if they are missing there as well it would be another disappointment.

Yes, I found out the why and how behind his library crusade. Suggest if you wish to do so, you try a more condensed version of his life - say Wikiepeia!

[Michael Gerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exhausting biography of one of the titans of American industry, a billionaire who made his fortune on the backs of the toil of his workers he exploited, but also one who opposed his country's dalliance with imperialism.

And he would have been a dumb beauty pageant contestant in another life for trying to make one thing possible: world peace. Too bad he didn't get the Nobel for it. But seeing your name on numerous institutions and leaving a legacy of philantrophy? Not bad.

[Ryan Knoll · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, I just couldn't finish this book. Andrew Carnegie's life is so damn boring! he basically gets rich early by doing some arms-length deals and goes on vacation for about 40 years while cutting wages for his workers and feeling justified in doing so.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

was a long read. would have been better if it was half as long.

[Ruthie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose someone has to write the 'definitive' biography of Carnegie. And this seems to be it. All 878 pages of it. I borrowed this book from my brother in August and am seeing him again for the first time today, 4 months later and need to return it. I'm on page 466, which is ONLY HALF WAY THROUGH. But that's it. I'm giving up (for the moment any way).

Carnegie is a fascinating character. Contradictory. At times forward thinking and heroic. And times the worst of capitalists. Born to a Dumfermline handloom weaver who fell on hard times, his mother spearheaded the move to Pittsburgh. Clearly a talented, energetic youngster, he took any chance that came to him: a telegram boy for a railroad company which was like finding himself a tech engineer in the Google of his day. He invested some money and was amazed by his first dividend: 'money for doing nothing.' He cleverly kept on investing, making connections. He spotted that the money was in supplying the railroads with bridges etc. rather than investing in the high risk companies himself. After a trip to Britain, he realised the railroads needed steelcoated rails and started investing in steelworks. And so he was well on his way to being the richest man on the planet.

At an early stage he encouraged unions for workers: 'more profit is made if the workers are invested in the plant.' (not direct quote). And yet, 10 years later, he systematically broke the unions in each of his steelworks. The Homestead steelworks being the largest and most significant (1892) with men killed when management - urged on by Carnegie, the 50% shareholder (even though he was at Rannoch Lodge at the time) - brought in the Pinkertons: a private army. The conditions at his works were clearly appalling, most particularly the 12 hour shifts, which Carnegie instigated.

The gap between the rich and poor was obscene, with a few industrialists making unimaginable profits in this Gilded Age. Yet Carnegie decided that the right thing to do was give it ALL away during his lifetime. That inherited wealth was bad for the next generation (he had no children at the time, mind you). And that the millionaires shouldn't be spending it on themselves (the modern day equivalent of private jets and Caribbean islands) but on the Community. Not give it back through tax, of course. No, he decided on how the money would most benefit the community.

So, fascinating book. But, jeez, isn't it the job of the biographer to sift the wheat from the chaff? Having read 467 pages, shouldn't I pretty much have covered his life, rather than only just finished the Homestead incident? For example, did I really need to know about the debate between Carnegie and his fiance Louise on envelope sizes for wedding invites ?

And here's a personal story about how Carnegie's money has had an effect on my life. There is a beautiful Carnegie library round the corner from where I live. (My husband uses it regularly.) It's on Library Street. My husband's father lived on Library Street as a boy and became a well-read working class lad (and communist) as a result. Later (with encouragement from my husband's mother's middle-class family) he was accepted at Ruskin College, Oxford - the college for working-class men. And so left his life as a miner and became a teacher.

It's my birthday today, and I'll be giving this enormous book back to my brother...

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good biography. I’ve decided I know it is good reading when I feel like I’m living in the life and time of the subject as I am reading along. Being 800 pages this book was with me for an entire week, and my thoughts were drawn to Andrew Carnegie and all those surrounding stories even when I was not reading. That is a good book!

I have a few quibbles, which I feel I am entitled to share given that this author made the conscious decision to publish a story that weighs so much and is so large. Something this big is begging for critique.

When it came to the time of H.C. Frick assuming head of Carnegie Steel and other Carnegie businesses, the narrative moves overwhelmingly to written exchanges between the two. Most of these communications are quoted verbatim. Also, most are only those from Carnegie to Frick. Carnegie wrote in a clipped manner, that reads stream of consciousness, and can be meaningless to a 21st century reader who does not know the mind of the intended recipient.

The extensive quoting of Carnegie’s writings to people continues through, almost, the end of the book. I have many thoughts on this.

1). It would be nice to know what Frick’s reactions to these communications were. Some of Carnegie’s letters/cables were quite nasty. What did Frick think of Carnegie. We find out at the rupture of their business relationship that Frick, at that time, was sick of Carnegie. But, what was the story between them in full? Even this author acknowledges that their successes in life were mutually dependent. But, we are left to rely upon mostly one-side of business communications. Certainly there must be more out there this author could have found to add dimension to this amazing relationship. Statements from fellow board members, business associates? Something! Anything! This biography has a serious hole in not exploring that crucial area. The Frick/Carnegie story - in this book - ends with saying on a certain date when Carnegie discharges Frick as Chairman of the Board, the two never met again. But, was that really all? Carnegie is shown as a very personally friendly man, and one to never held a grudge (he sat down and was pleasant years later with a former aide who had tried to blackmail him). He also seemed to not grasp that people could be so offended by how he treated them. Did he ever try to mend the breach with Frick. Did Frick do anything? I will have to look elsewhere to answer these questions, because this biography is no help.

2). Regarding those quotes, once the quotes start, it seems at times that this author used Carnegie’s letters/cables as the exclusive source for information on some things. It left a lot on the table. Also, I found myself longing for less quotes. So many. So many block quotes. Then, I would think if the author had paraphrased things it wouldn’t have been as thorough a biography. In the end, I think the author went into too much detail on some subjects simply because he had a Carnegie letter in his research file and wanted to use it. This is true for some of the details about setting the prices of steel, prices for coke, and a number of rather mundane matters. I thought the same when when the book moved to Carnegie’s final and lasting project, world peace. Here there were a lot of block quotes, and paragraph quotes of exchanges between Carnegie and political figures. The book dragged. (It also dragged at some of those Frick/Carnegie exchanges and when so many details are presented about Carnegie Steel business.). This is, in part, because nothing happened. Carnegie’s efforts did not go anywhere, with anyone.

On this excessive quoting, there was too often no commentary to it. This author is a good writer. He had my trust throughout this book. During so many pages when I am just reading quotation paragraph followed by Block quote, I would have liked more interjections from this author. He could have added context or commentary to bring it all together.

3). A distraction in the book were the 7-8 times that the author wrote “we” in the book. E.g. “We can find no source to support this statement.” In the over-all manner of this writing the use of “we” was a dead stop in my reading. Who is this “we?” There is only one credited author. We are left to ponder.

My above quibbles are merely that. I hope they will not detract anyone from reading this book. It is one of the better written biographies I have read. It was recommended to me by a very friendly employee at a Barnes and Noble. I ordered the book on the spot and warned her I would hunt her down if I devoted the time it would take to read such a thick book if it turned out to be crap. She assured me the book would not disappoint. She was right.

The book developed personal meaning for me as I was reading because my family is Scottish, my dad is an immigrant who settled in Pittsburgh. I grew up in the area so often referred to in the book. My first books came from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. I was awed by the colossal dinosaur with menacing teeth housing in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. I always had to see it when we went to the library or the museum, and just stared at it with wonder. (When Carnegie heard of it being excavated in the Wyoming desert he vowed Pittsburgh would have it, and even went to court to ensure we did.) I remember the first time I heard about the Homestead strike when my dad was driving past the property where the mill once stood (now a giant strip mall and more complex), told me everything a six year old girl could understand about that strike and the Pinkertons, and the deaths.

Carnegie was certainly a complex man and, I find, like most people, he was full of contradictions. He was jolly and kind and generous. He was also mean and ruthless. No way to square that circle. He amassed so much money, some of which came on the backs of breaking unions, paying employees starvation wages while his company and he made (in today dollars) billions of dollars a year in profit. Men died in his mills. Widows and orphans were left with nothing. Those that lived worked 12 hour days, seven days a week in conditions that would break most of us. He left all his money to charity and more than almost anyone else on this earth did good with his gifts. In the end, I do not try to reconcile these contradictory aspects of this man. He was who he was. He is long gone. His dinosaur is still there, and I love that.

[David Yeoh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazed at all the journals and letters revived and preserved. Long read but I can feel like I ve known this person and his character after the read. Portrays a very human like figure despite his magnate achievements. From impoverished immigrant uneducated beginnings to genius wealthiest Titan, with an unidentified source of ability to flick a switch- opinionated yet emotionally aware, unswayable, and ability to strategically executed swiftly with reason and foresight logic. Almost a self thought grandmaster chess player in business. So much information and raises a lot of questions about his thinking process, but results is in the pudding. So many issues and constant problems thru his business, but when retired and worry free he slumped into slight depression, evident that problems are a sign of life. Wonderful I thought, so glad I picked it up.

[Nate Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about the gilded age American history. Probably my favorite period of history. There are few individuals that exemplify the struggles, successes, and nuances of this period better than Andrew Carnegie.

I would have liked a deeper dive into his mother. It seems so fascinating to me that he would marry at 52 and only after her death. Loved seeing how he changed year over year and yet was still the same man.

I think there is a lot to love and loath about him. Many traits to be emulated and shunned. Great read and really inspiring! I’ll be thinking about Andrew for a really long time.

[Norman Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rags-to-riches story. Andrew Carnegie became one of the richest people in America. He is a symbol of industrial might to some, and corporate greed and oppression to others. He was also a wealthy playboy philanthropist, and a strong advocate for world peace.

This biography pulls no punches.

My city (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) boasts three Carnegie libraries.

[David Pospisil · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, detailed bio of a complex man.
The story of how Carnegie built his wealth is so interesting.
The book also shows a kind man in need of constant praise.
I think this book would have benefited from cutting out some of the minutiae and repetition.
Good read if you have the time and interest.

[Laina Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to learn more about people from Scotland and I also wanted to know more about Andrew Carnegie so this was an interesting read for me. Carnegie was a native of Dunfermline in Fife. Unlike many immigrants, he kept a strong connection with his homeland and traveled extensively throughout his lifetime. He not only used his great wealth to endow many causes in North America but also endeavored to improve the land of his birth through philanthropy and social action.