The lives of John Jacob
Astor, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, John D Rockefeller, Henry Ford and
Joseph P Kennedy.
by Wyn Derbyshire
Publication: October 2008
Price:
£18.95/€24.00/$36.95 Hardback ISBN: 978 1904905 84 4
Wyn Derbyshire’s fascinating insight into the lives of these six
fabulously wealthy self-made tycoons offers readers a glimpse into what drove
these men, how they accumulated their fortunes, how they chose to live their
lives, and ultimately the legacies they left behind.
-Jeffrey L. Seglin, New York Times Syndicate ethics columnist
John D Rockefeller. Cornelius
Vanderbilt. Andrew Carnegie. John Jacob Astor. Henry Ford. Joseph P Kennedy.
Even today, long after their deaths, the names of these six men continue to be
associated with wealth and power. When they were alive, they dominated their
worlds as few men had done before, and few have done since.
These are the life
stories of six of the richest men who ever lived in America. Their lives offer
us windows into ways of life over two centuries that most of us can only
imagine, and an opportunity to glimpse times when laws, attitudes, prejudices
and opportunities were very different from today. Their achievements -
financial, political and social - continue to affect us, for good or ill, to
this day. Their mistakes still offer important lessons about the acquisition,
use and abuse of wealth and power. And had they not lived, the history of
America - and the world - might have been very different indeed.
About the
author: Wyn
Derbyshire originally trained as a research chemist, gaining a PhD from the
University of Cambridge before qualifying as a lawyer. Now a partner at City
law firm S J Berwin LLP, he has for many years been interested in financial
history and the lives of the great tycoons.
