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The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt Hardcover – Deckle Edge, April 21, 2009

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T.J. Stiles (Author)
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T.J. Stiles (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 218 customer reviews
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Deckle edge paper
This Book Is Bound with "Deckle Edge" Paper
You may have noticed that some of our books are identified as "deckle edge" in the title. Deckle edge books are bound with pages that are made to resemble handmade paper by applying a frayed texture to the edges. Deckle edge is an ornamental feature designed to set certain titles apart from books with machine-cut pages. See a larger image.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 736 pages
  • Publisher: Knopf; First Edition edition (April 21, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375415424
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375415425
  • Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.8 x 9.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (218 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA marvelous biography of a quiet and mysterious man of immense power and stupendous wealth
By Yesh Prabhu, author of The Beech Tree VINE VOICE on April 29, 2009
Format: Hardcover
"The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt" is an impressive and fascinating biography, wonderfully evocative of the quiet man with enormous power, influence and wealth. At the time of his death he owned five percent of America's wealth.

Even though he was known as the king of the railroad, he was much more than that: he was the king of the steamboats and ships, and the king of industries and corporations as well. He built the original Grand Central Terminal in New York, and also the mighty New York Central Railroad system connecting New York with Chicago.

This tycoon also had his share of pains, disappointments, sadness, and regrets that life offers all mortals. His son Cornelius Jeremiah's addiction to gambling and also the affliction of epilepsy greatly distressed him.

Written in simple and lucid prose, the book is gripping and entertaining to the very end: "Vanderbilt was an empire builder, the first great corporate tycoon in American history. Even before the United States became a truly industrial country, he learned to use the tools of corporate capitalism to amass wealth and power on a scale previously unknown, creating enterprises of unprecedented size."

Mr. T. J. Stiles has written a marvelous biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Reading this book was a joy.
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5.0 out of 5 starsStiles Vanderbilt Biography is Good Beyond Words
By V. Bruy on May 2, 2009
Format: Hardcover
I don't often write "reviews" because I would prefer to spend the time reading. But Stiles new book demands high praise and unreserved recommendation to any readers who enjoy good history, colorful life stories and well written and compelling narrative. The Vanderbilt story, his times, and Stiles fine writing make this long history pulse with the "can't put it down" quality of a great mystery. This truly is a must-read, and a joy from cover to cover. At the end I only wanted more!
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5.0 out of 5 starsExceptional at any price
By M. Vanoss on May 1, 2009
Format: Hardcover
A superlative and memorable biography, easily winning comparison with the works of David McCullough, William Manchester, and Robert Caro. While I joined with those who protested the original Kindle pricing of this book, and am gratified to see the reduction in price, I'll also say that the book is well worth whatever price you pay. It's without doubt a remarkable accomplishment and a rich display of Mr. Stiles' considerable talents.
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5.0 out of 5 starsBest biography I have read
By Arthur Hughes on October 12, 2009
Format: Hardcover
I read nothing but History, Science and Biography. I must have read fifty biographies in the past few years. Stiles book, The First Tycoon is certainly the best. Why? Because Stiles provides so many interesting details, but he makes it so exciting. We follow Cornelius Vanderbilt from his life as a young man sailing a boat from Staten Island to Manhattan for a living, to buying his first steam boat, to becoming a steamboat company owner, and finally to becoming the richest man in the US by investing in railroads. He did it all himself! He had no significant help from his parents, and no education. He was just smart and very hard working. Wow! What a book! We learn a lot about the terrific period in the US from 1800 to 1877. This isn't about the civil war -- it is about the development of business and the railroads which had so much to do with uniting our country and making it possible to develop the midwest. You will learn a lot that you did not know before, and you will learn new aspects of things that you think that you already know. Your life will be enriched by reading this book.
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4.0 out of 5 starsBlue pencil, please
By Joan F. on June 7, 2009
Format: Hardcover
I guess I will take the minority position here and say that while I liked this biography, and admire the depth of research by the author, my humble opinion is that the book could have used some editing. I don't need to know the name and route of every single ship that sailed under the Vandy name to appreciate CV's achievements. It was a little rocky getting through the first couple hundred pages, but clear sailing after that. The best part of the bio is the recounting of CV's contributions to the Civil War effort.
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4.0 out of 5 starsBut how did he make his decisions?
By L. David Marquet on December 28, 2009
Format: Hardcover
T. J. Stiles thinks Cornelius Vanderbilt has gotten a bad rap.
Born during George Washington's presidency, Vanderbilt built a massive business empire starting with steamships and then railroads. His life spanned an epic period of the growth of the United States. During his life he saw New York grow from a population of 40,000 to over 1 million, the introduction of the railroad and steamships, building the Erie canal, the gold rush, the telegraph, and the American civil war.
Vanderbilt comes across as tenaciously driven in business, opportunistic, and personally aloof. During the development of the country during the 18th century, Vanderbilt was always there -capitalizing upon and in turn, providing the infrastructure that enabled the country's growth.
Vanderbilt's response to the California gold rush of 1849 is illustrative. He built a steamship line that transported passengers to the east coast of Nicaragua, transferred them to a small riverboat for the trip up the San Juan river. Shipped and reassembled a larger ferry boat for the trip across Lake Nicaragua, and then used pack animals to make the 12 miles trip to the Pacific. Finally, another steamship took them to San Francisco. Doing so required political deftness, engineering expertise, financial backing, and a keen business acumen.
Vanderbilt then began shifting his business from steamships to railroads. Shortly after the civil war he had essentially shifted his entire business focus away from steamships to railroads.
I wondered how he made these decisions. Did he ponder long and hard the future of the country and decide where he needed to be? How did he see these changes coming?Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsLots of detail

Extensive and detailed, but quite lengthy. Hard to get through but when I did I saw it as an accomplishment.

Published 1 day ago by emg55
5.0 out of 5 starsA Must Read

A must read especially for anyone interested in this countries early economic and political history. Great story teller,when describing Cornelius Vanderbilt journey through life.

Published 3 days ago by ron stuhr
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Ddetailed but very easy to read. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Published 6 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsOutstanding biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt

A great biography of a major American business leader. Cornelius rose to become one of the wealthiest men in the United States by the time of his death. Read more

Published 23 days ago by Steven Peterson
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat read

Great information on someone I didn't k ow much about. Well written to keep me reading. Good view into early America and how it effects our world now

Published 1 month ago by Stephen G Jackson
3.0 out of 5 starsThree Stars

Hard to get into it

Published 2 months ago by Kristen Wierzbicki
5.0 out of 5 starsOutstanding - Extremely Informative And A Really Good Read

This is just an excellent and outstanding book. I learned a great deal. I have always been intriqued by the so called "robber barons". Who were they? Read more

Published 2 months ago by Francis C. Donnelly
3.0 out of 5 starsThree Stars

interesting, but could have used tighter editing.

Published 2 months ago by Clare Briody
5.0 out of 5 starsThe best book I've ever read in my life - hands down!

I love history, especially the 1800s. I read every biography and watch every movie I can about this age and time. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Joacim
5.0 out of 5 starsVanderbilt and the Development of the American Pre-Civil War Economy

This is a very important book about the life of one man and the early development of the American economy before the Civil War. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Art Folker

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