Customer Reviews

Meet You in Hell: Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and the Bitter Partnership That Changed America

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Meet You In Hell" tells the fascinating stories of Steel King Andrew Carnegie and Coke King Henry Clay Frick and their interactions which shaped much of American Industrial history. It begins with sections on their personal and business backgrounds. It explains how their careers became intertwined as Frick's coke company became a primary supplier to Carnegie Steel. The breaking point of their relationship was the riot at the Homestead Mill, which was opposed by Frick while Carnegie remained in Scotland. Thereafter they became bitter rivals to their deaths.

As readers of my Amazon reviews are aware, I am an avid reader of history. This, while being history, is neither political nor military and, thereby, provides a different insight into forces which molded our nation.

Two ways that I evaluate books is by whether they teach me things that I did not know or if they do whet my appetite to read more on the subject. "Meet You In Hell" scores well on both tests. I was aware that Pinkerton agents were often used by management in labor disputes. The narrative dealing with the Battle of Homestead illustrates just how violent those disputes were. I had often seen Carnegie Libraries, but I did not realize that he was so resented among the laboring classes. After reading this I cannot wait until I can read another book on Industrial History. Any book that can ace both of these tests merits high marks.

Les Standiford's work is, overall, a good period piece evoking the culture and events of late nineteenth century industrial America. He retains a critical perspective without damning his subjects as "robber barons," etc., seeing them in the context of their times and their essential humanity - even when behaving inhumanly.

There are a few inaccuracies, inconsistencies, irrelevancies, and just plain head scratchers: as on page 29, where he states: "In the wake of Ireland's Great Potato Famine, the family sold everything and came, as so many of their fellow Scotsmen did, to America." While this is factually true, one wonders what the Irish potato famine had to do with Scottish immigrants, particularly the Carnegies of Dunfermline. The relevance to the subject remains obscure, unless there's a connection that Mr. Standiford is not sharing with his readers. (?)

In general, though, it's a good read, and a good introduction for the general reader who's just learning about the era, the fruits of which are still part of the life around him: from the 19th century buildings which yet remain in northern US cities, to the remnants of American industry, and the great financial institutions of Wall Street.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, went to the Carnegie Library and Museum, and my dad's first office was in the splendid Frick Building. Obviously this very readable nonfiction history of Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Carnegie appealed to me for those reasons initially, but it is fascinating on so many levels.

Both men rise from poverty as an immigrants in the US to become the wealthiest men in the US and probably the world. The book is interesting in its coverage of labor issues, the first labor unions, and the srike fiasco at Carnegie's Homestead works which virtually broke unions in the US for 30 yrs. Anyone in the business world will be interested in the story of how one of the greatest and largest US corporations, US Steel, came into being. It was a time in the US when JP Morgan, Andrew Mellon, and others first came into being, and it affected our country more than you realize!

If you enjoy well-written nonfiction that reads like fiction, and that enlightens you while managing to be entertaining as well, you will really love this book.

Reading this book is a little like watching a reality TV show: two overbearing captains of industry stuck together in a bubble, unwittingly entertaining the public. Though there is little new revealed in "Meet You in Hell," Les Standiford's biography of this infamous business partnership, its value is how the book wonderfully tracks, in tandem, the two robber barons. There are already a dozen biographies of these men, but this book is the first to train its camera solely on the relationship, both business and personal. That's a great leap forward. Thank you, Les Standiford.

After moving to Pittsburgh I toured Frick's mansion, Clayton. I find it to be so interesting that I picked this book up from the bookstore on the way home.

It turned out to be a fascinating read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. The author is able to make the history come alive and make the personalities of Carnegie and Frick identifiable.

Immediately after I finished I gave it to my wife and she loves it too.

I was very happy with the read. It knew a little bit of the history between those two. I have already loaned it to a couple

of my friends very satisfied.

Regards

It's hard to be neutral about such complex figures as Andrew Carnegie, the "World's Richest Man" and Henry Clay Frick, the "King of Coke," top magnates of the Industrial Age. Lucky for readers, Les Standiford manages to pull it off in his biographal/historical narrative "Meet You in Hell."

I've read historical biographies of both men along with Carnegie's autobiography, works that tend to reinforce readers with author biases by either lauding or condemning or justifying the actions taken by these two men.

"Meet You in Hell" stands at the top of the list for its evenhanded execution in probing the background and characters of these two titans, their partnership, their rivalry, their falling out and their increasingly bitter efforts at one-upsmanship.

Were it a novel, many of the actions that occur between these two men could scarcely be believed. Standiford makes these real events believable and understandable.

Carnegie and Frick were giants of their age who accomplished a great deal. Much of what was accomplished was on the backs of their workers. This was America's age of unchecked capitalism by a power elite with few controls or government regulations in place.

"Meet You in Hell" is a great hook-line which Standiford baits right at the beginning. As a reader, you'll know why by the end of the book. Five stars.

High impact American history driven by the empire builders;
Les Standiford builds the rags to riches American dream come true balanced with the $1.40 a twelve hour a day working stiffs struggle to survive.
The author has created another excellent must read documentary.

This was an astoundingly great read! I really couldn't put it down and it actually caused me to be an hour late for a casual visit with a friend. I could only apologize with a lengthy discourse about being mesmerized by the revelations and how the book pulled me into the action. I truly did lose track of the passage of time.

At first glance, the subject matter of the early steel industry might appear to be a rather boring one. It most definitely is not! It is most educational and very enlightening! No difficult or boring technical stuff is included to slow down your absorption of this story. Congratulations to Les Standiford; I just have to check out his other works!

Author does an excellent job in describing the era and the personalities of Carnegie and Frick. I often wonder what happens to people, their egos or an uncontrollable desire for more wealth, when they have it all, and can't possibly use anymore than what they have. Conversely, at the other end are the people that made them rich, and those workers get treated worse than dogs. Carnegie is a complex figure, letting Frick be the bad guy, but him being silent during most of the Homestead Steel Works nasty strike. Frick was probably confused, and irritated about Carnegie'w role in the strike, as were the Sheriff, National Guard, union leaders, etc. Former employees were starving and uncertain about their futures, and some dying, while Carnegie and his family were vacationing in Scotland. After the long strike, Carnegie and Frick lost their friendship and work association, and never spoke to each other after Frick resigned. Of course, Carnegie later made amends with society with his donated free libraries and charities. A good book, accurate writing, and well worth the few bucks.