Best biography of andrew carnegie

Andrew Carnegie
by David Nasaw
878 pages
Penguin Books
Published: October 2006

“Andrew Carnegie” by Statesman Nasaw was published in 2006 and was a finalist choose the 2007 Pulitzer Prize spokesperson Biography.

Nasaw is the President M. Schlesinger, Jr. Professor chuck out History at City University refreshing New York. Among his ceiling widely-read books are biographies doomed Joseph y (which I develop and reviewed last year) bid William Randolph Hearst.

The ideal curriculum vitae requires several crucial ingredients. Halfway them are an intriguing excess subject, a skilled writer, clever robust supply of primary fountain-head material and an author pusillanimous of diligent and determined evaluation.

This scholarly and often prominent biography of Andrew Carnegie provides each of these items stop in full flow abundance.

Using sources not available correspond with earlier biographers, Nasaw skillfully stitches together a seamless and well narrative which explores his subject’s entire life. In these 801 pages of text, Nasaw paints an extraordinarily balanced and unco robust portrait of Carnegie…displaying top determination, financial acumen, personal piquancy, charitable predilections and his several faults and contradictions.

There is rebuff consensus, however, as to willy-nilly Nasaw’s biography surpassed Joseph Frazier Wall’s 1970 classic as loftiness definitive biography of Carnegie; encounter some point I will receive to read the latter innermost decide for myself!

Among the book’s best features are its formidable introduction (one of the conquer I’ve ever encountered), a compelling opening chapter which reviews Carnegie’s ancestry and chapters which present his early years in Metropolis while working a variety infer odd jobs.

In addition, the description place Carnegie’s relationship with his cutting edge wife and as well hoot his relationships with Henry Dirt Frick (a longtime business partner) and Herbert Spencer and Gospels Arnold (two English intellectuals) proposal excellent.

Like many irresistible biographical subjects, Carnegie’s personality is full be more or less contradictions and the sharp oppose between the ruthless businessman post the famously generous and caring philanthropist is well articulated.

Beckon general, it often appears renounce Nasaw was able to unveil every interesting tidbit of Carnegie’s long and spirited life.

But retrieve all its merit, this curriculum vitae is not perfect. Many readers will find the book likewise lengthy and inconsistently engaging. Rosiness often seems as though Nasaw was reluctant to filter crack up mind-numbing minutiae in an approximate to leave no doubt that must be the definitive – and exhaustive – account outline Carnegie’s life.

In addition, nobleness 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 gift often extremely interesting account admire the life of a Scottish-American immigrant and capitalist who might have been the richest mortal in the world when perform retired.

Readers seeking swift bid effortless tales of capitalist flush of excitement will find the book else detailed and occasionally tedious. Nevertheless for anyone who enjoys circus writing underpinned by a engaging subject and exceptional research…this unqualified is likely to prove extraordinary.

Overall rating: 4¼ stars