The Entrepreneurial Adventure: A History of Business in the United States [Paperback]

Larry Schweikart (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0155084550 | ISBN-13: 978-0155084551 | Publication Date: June 30, 1999 | Edition: 1

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPERIENCE is unique in its positive portrayal of the American entrepreneurial spirit and in its pro-market, pro-entrepreneur perspective. Professor Schweikart emphasizes that individuals, not groups, are most responsible for the creation of wealth in America, and that individual entrepreneurs, if left to their own devices, will have a better chance of solving problems than if controlled or regulated by the government. While the book covers the full extent of the history of the United States, approximately 40% of the text is concerned with the twentieth century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 1 edition (June 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0155084550
• ISBN-13: 978-0155084551
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,136,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Larry Schweikart, a former rock drummer who opened for "Steppenwolf," is a professor of history at the University of Dayton. In addition to some of the books mentioned here, he has authored over 50 academic articles, dozens of book reviews, and has been a regular guest on "Fox and Friends."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OVERDUE REVISIONISM, February 24, 2001

By 

John N. Frary (Farmington, Maine, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Entrepreneurial Adventure: A History of Business in the United States (Paperback)

Most American historians know much more about economics than a rose-nose mole---but a good deal less than Dyak from backwoods Borneo. So it is that most American History texts, even if otherwise quite passable, incorporate economic wisdom fully formulated by about 1898 and embalmed for the ages sometime around 1938. Larry Schweikart's volume, by contrast, possesses real vitality. It is not only superior to all easily available US history texts, it is also superior to almost all texts I have had occasion to examine. The Entrepreneurial adventure is clearly written and full of interesting insights and anecdotes. It is about real human beings doing real things: from Lydia Pinkham to John D. Rockefeller, Sr. It is not about the suffering "masses" and suchlike academic effigies.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comment on Richard Panton's review, January 29, 2005

By 

DR L. SCHWEIKART - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Entrepreneurial Adventure: A History of Business in the United States (Paperback)

I am the author, and Richard Panton is right with many of his comments. I eagerly await the opportunity to revise this in light of some of the 1999 (when the final editing was done)-present developments. About the only one I would seriously revise is that I expected the tech sector, even with the down turn of 1999, to come back sooner. I still think it will, but there are important structural barriers that have not yet been solved, including "last-mile" hookups, the final disposition of the Bell/Baby Bell cases, lingering effects of the Microsoft lawsuit, and the intervention of world terrorism.

I hope to get the chance to start a new edition very soon.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful - with limits, November 4, 2003

By 

Richard Panton (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Entrepreneurial Adventure: A History of Business in the United States (Paperback)

Mr. Schweikart has written a useful text for students of American business or American history, but it is dated. Closing out pre-9/11, the stage Schweikart sets is not the one we must now act on. If a new edition were to be published, some of his conclusions and theories would need to be revised or at least expanded to address current issues in business and world affairs. It would also be nice to see a co-author to provide counterpoint to Schweikart's biases - my observance of which which is not intended to be anything more than an aknowledgement of human nature. Overall, a refreshing look at the development of the greatest economy on the planet. I only wish it had been written in 2003.