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The Master-Rogue: The Confessions Of A Croesus
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1903
About the author
David Graham Phillips
179 books6 followersDavid Graham Phillips was an American novelist and journalist of the muckraker tradition.Phillips was born in Madison, Indiana. After graduating from high school, Phillips entered Asbury College (now DePauw University) - following which he received a degree from Princeton University in 1887.
After completing his education, Phillips worked as a newspaper reporter in Cincinnati, Ohio, before moving on to New York City where he was employed as a reporter for The Sun from 1890 to 1893, then columnist and editor with the New York World until 1902.
In his spare time, he wrote a novel, The Great God Success, that was published in 1901. The royalty income enabled him to work as a freelance journalist while continuing to write fiction. Writing articles for various prominent magazines, he began to develop a reputation as a competent investigative journalist. Phillips' novels often commented on social issues of the day and frequently chronicled events based on his real-life journalistic experiences.
He was considered a Progressive and for exposing corruption in the Senate he was labelled a muckraker. Phillips wrote an article in Cosmopolitan in March 1906, called "The Treason of the Senate," exposing campaign contributors being rewarded by certain members of the U. S. Senate. The story launched a scathing attack on Rhode Island senator Nelson W. Aldrich, and brought Phillips a great deal of national exposure. This and other similar articles helped lead to the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, initiating popular instead of state-legislature election of U. S. senators.
After completing his education, Phillips worked as a newspaper reporter in Cincinnati, Ohio, before moving on to New York City where he was employed as a reporter for The Sun from 1890 to 1893, then columnist and editor with the New York World until 1902.
In his spare time, he wrote a novel, The Great God Success, that was published in 1901. The royalty income enabled him to work as a freelance journalist while continuing to write fiction. Writing articles for various prominent magazines, he began to develop a reputation as a competent investigative journalist. Phillips' novels often commented on social issues of the day and frequently chronicled events based on his real-life journalistic experiences.
He was considered a Progressive and for exposing corruption in the Senate he was labelled a muckraker. Phillips wrote an article in Cosmopolitan in March 1906, called "The Treason of the Senate," exposing campaign contributors being rewarded by certain members of the U. S. Senate. The story launched a scathing attack on Rhode Island senator Nelson W. Aldrich, and brought Phillips a great deal of national exposure. This and other similar articles helped lead to the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, initiating popular instead of state-legislature election of U. S. senators.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 5, 2018
James Galloway is an utterly unscrupulous millionaire who stole a dry-goods company from his first employer, then built a huge fortune in finance and industry through bribes, cartels, and stock manipulation.
Looking back on his life he positively revels in the relentless acquisition of money, power, and respect. He offers some interesting words of advice for anyone looking to have the same success: 'To get what you want in this world you have to be a good hater. The best haters make the best grabbers, and this is a world of grab...'
What matter the man of wealth if he sees his own family as pawns and parasites? Galloway disowns his eldest son, makes his eldest daughter marry a man she can't abide, ruins his own wife financially, even fires his loyalist sycophant after one mistake, though he relents somewhat on that one ('I took him back at two-thirds his former pay').
He really is a stinker. Graham presents the American man of business at his worst presented in the plainest of prose. You can't help but admire the ruthlessness of the man while despising his soullessness.
As always in such cases, he learns the lesson about the camel and the eye of the needle far too late.
Looking back on his life he positively revels in the relentless acquisition of money, power, and respect. He offers some interesting words of advice for anyone looking to have the same success: 'To get what you want in this world you have to be a good hater. The best haters make the best grabbers, and this is a world of grab...'
What matter the man of wealth if he sees his own family as pawns and parasites? Galloway disowns his eldest son, makes his eldest daughter marry a man she can't abide, ruins his own wife financially, even fires his loyalist sycophant after one mistake, though he relents somewhat on that one ('I took him back at two-thirds his former pay').
He really is a stinker. Graham presents the American man of business at his worst presented in the plainest of prose. You can't help but admire the ruthlessness of the man while despising his soullessness.
As always in such cases, he learns the lesson about the camel and the eye of the needle far too late.
February 27, 2010
I enjoyed the olde tyme feel of this book. It is about a man who will stop at nothing to get the things he wants. I think the parts where he is debating between his kids and his wealth is most telling. I think the talks of millions of dollars as a nearly impossible amount to obtain is humorous in today's inflated monetary worth.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews