Awards

• Winner of National Book Awards 2009
• Winner of Pulitzer Prize 2010
• Winner of Pulitzer Prize for Biography 2010
• Winner of Pulitzer Prize for Biography 2010.

Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD In this groundbreakingbiography, T.J. Stiles tells the dramatic story of Cornelius ""Commodore"" Vanderbilt, the combative man and American icon who, through his genius and force of will, did more than perhaps any other individual to create modern capitalism. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, The First Tycoon describes an improbable life, from Vanderbilt's humble birth during the presidency of George Washington to his death as one of the richest men in American history. In between we see how the Commodore helped to launch the transportation revolution, propel the Gold Rush, reshape Manhattan, and invent the modern corporation. Epic in its scope and success, the life of Vanderbilt is also the story of the rise of America itself.

Full Product Details

9781400031740

Table of Contents

Reviews

A The New York Times Notable Book <br>A Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and Kansas City Star Book of the Year <br> A mighty--and mighty confident--work. . . . This is state-of-the-art biography. . . . The First Tycoon has been widely praised, and rightly so. . . . This is state-of-the-art biography. <br>-- The New York Times <br> Superbly written and researched. . . . Worthy of its subject. <br>-- The Economist <br> Truly remarkable. . . . A landmark study that significantly enhances one's understanding of U.S. economic history. . . . [Stiles is] one of the most exciting writers in the field. <br>-- Foreign Affairs <br> Stiles has painted a full-bodied, nuanced picture of the man. . . . Elegance of style and fair-minded intent illuminate Stiles's latest, expectedly profound exploration of American culture in the raw. <br>-- The Boston Globe <br> Stiles, a superb researcher, has unearthed quantities of new material and crafted them into the illuminating, authoritative portrait of Vanderbilt that has been missing for so long. <br>-- The Washington Post <br> Very absorbing. . . . Much more than a biography. The book is filled with important, exhaustively researched and indeed fascinating details that would profit every student of American business and social history to read. <br>-- San Francisco Chronicle <br> Stiles writes with both the panache of a fine journalist and the analytical care of a seasoned scholar. And he offers a fruitful way to think about the larger history of American elites as well as the life of one of their most famous members. <br>-- The New York Times Book Review <br> Vanderbilt's story is indeed epic, and so is The First Tycoon. . . . Stiles is a perceptive and witty writer with a remarkable ability to paint a picture of the America in which Vanderbilt lived. <br>-- The Christian Science Monitor <br> Fascinating.,

@lt;b@gt;A @lt;i@gt;The New York Times@lt;/i@gt; Notable Book@lt;/b@gt;@lt;br@gt;@lt;b@gt; @lt;/b@gt;@lt;br@gt;@lt;b@gt;A @lt;i@gt;Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, @lt;/i@gt; and @lt;i@gt;Kansas City Star@lt;/i@gt; Book of the Year@lt;/b@gt;@lt;br@gt; @lt;br@gt; A mighty--and mighty confident--work. . . . This is state-of-the-art biography. . . . @lt;i@gt;The First Tycoon @lt;/i@gt;has been widely praised, and rightly so. . . . This is state-of-the-art biography. @lt;br@gt;--@lt;i@gt;The New York Times@lt;/i@gt;@lt;br@gt; @lt;br@gt; Superbly written and researched. . . . Worthy of its subject. @lt;br@gt;--@lt;i@gt;The Economist@lt;/i@gt;@lt;br@gt; @lt;br@gt; Truly remarkable. . . . A landmark study that significantly enhances one's understanding of U.S. economic history. . . . [Stiles is] one of the most exciting writers in the field. @lt;br@gt;--@lt;i@gt;Foreign Affairs@lt;/i@gt;@lt;br@gt; @lt;br@gt; Stiles has painte

Author Information

T. J. Stiles has held the Gilder Lehrman Fellowship in American History at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library, taught at Columbia University, and served as adviser for the PBS series The American Experience. His first book, Jesse James- Last Rebel of the Civil War, won the Ambassador Book Award and the Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship, and was a New York Times Notable Book. The First Tycoon won the National Book Award in 2009. He has written for The New York Times Book Review, Salon.com, Smithsonian, and the Los Angeles Times. He lives in San Francisco. Visit the author's website at www.tjstiles.com.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available