book data
144 ratings,
3.99
average rating, 20 reviews
(more data...)
edit
published
September 20th 2001
by Grove Press
binding
Paperback, 832 pages
literary awards
National Book Award 1990
isbn
0802138292
(isbn13: 9780802138293)
description
Now considered a classic, The House of Morgan is the most ambitious history ever written about an American banking dynasty. Acclaimed by The Wall Stre...more
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
friend reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 317)
All ratings
|
5 stars (42)
|
4 stars (65)
|
3 stars (31)
|
2 stars (5)
|
1 star (1)
|
avg 3.99
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in May, 2007
Ron Chernow writes with such well thought out detail that it seems he never misses anything.“The House of Morgan” won a National Book Award and describes a powerful American family. It is a very detailed book, which is his style, that describes how banking became big in America and how the Morgan’s became more powerful than the Rothschild banking dynasty. If you ever read the great book “Creature from Jeckyll Island” and followed the author’s reasoning for not needing a Federal Re...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in October, 2008
This book has sitting on my "unread" shelf, patiently waiting its turn, and I was finally motivated to pick it up by the current financial unpleasantness. It was somewhat reassuring to find that this country has been through times as bad, or worse, than what we are experiencing now. The difference is that ninety years ago, the world was smaller and relatively uncomplicated, and J. P. Morgan could just round up a few of his friends, each of whom would chip in a few million, and...more
Read in February, 2009
So normally, you know me, I have a thing about how non-fiction books could probably be a pamphlet and there is no justification for a book.
Well, Chernow has done is research and has more than enough information to fill these 800+ pages.
But it turns out that in this case that is a double-edged sword. It felt like he was glossing over many details of his main text, and grossly overestimating the reader's knowledge of 19th Century history, economics, and banking. Granted, ...more
Well, Chernow has done is research and has more than enough information to fill these 800+ pages.
But it turns out that in this case that is a double-edged sword. It felt like he was glossing over many details of his main text, and grossly overestimating the reader's knowledge of 19th Century history, economics, and banking. Granted, ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 1991
US Financial History is a passion of mine, and this book is a must read if you want to understand how we got where we were, and even where we are today in 2009. BIG book, but so is the subject, and Chernow is able to write this and his other biographies with a novelist's eye for detail, context, story, and plot. You have to be somewhat interested in the topics, but it is not at all dry or boring.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I enjoyed this book. Mostly to read about the original J P Morgan. After reading the Teddy Roosevelt Biography, I was shocked how Morgan would stop a crisis by himself. A lot of the people in the post J P Morgan (Sr.) show up in a lot of other history books for the time, so it is good to get an idea of who they really were.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2008
Would you like to know how the world really works? Pick up your skirt, grab your balls, and read this book!
Somewhat of a beast, and certainly not light reading. The title and stated subject of this book is misleading. It is not just about a bank. It is the history of the modern world and how finance made it all happen. At the heart of it all was a small but powerful bank, powered by Ivy-league elites and men who pulled themselves up from meager origins alike. This is how the wo...more
Somewhat of a beast, and certainly not light reading. The title and stated subject of this book is misleading. It is not just about a bank. It is the history of the modern world and how finance made it all happen. At the heart of it all was a small but powerful bank, powered by Ivy-league elites and men who pulled themselves up from meager origins alike. This is how the wo...more
Like this review?
yes
2 comments
12/24/08
Beth(MN)
marked it as to-read
As a former employee of JPM, their origins interest me in a slightly sick and twisted way...
Interesting.
Interesting.
Like this review?
yes
2 comments
Read in May, 2007
This book is a beast. It's starts out quickly, slows a bit in the middle and then finishes well. I probably read it before I understood the financial world well enough to grasp the significance of certain events Chernow views as critical. Chernow's books always seem to just about kill you but strangely enough, you don't want them to end. This book stops at the late 80's so for those of us who weren't conscious then, it seems a bit old. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book, finding to to ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
It only took a year to read, but I finally finished it. I'm glad I read it, I learned a lot of the roots and evolution of finish and how much things have changed. I felt that the part after WWII dragged a bit, but that may be my own bias on historical eras.
Having finished the book, I now wish it were a further 100 pages to cover the last 15 years. JP Morgan's purchase of Bank One and the Morgan entities reaction to the Enron debaucle and subsequent regulations.
Having finished the book, I now wish it were a further 100 pages to cover the last 15 years. JP Morgan's purchase of Bank One and the Morgan entities reaction to the Enron debaucle and subsequent regulations.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
A great history of Wall Street and global finance. Good pacing and interesting profiles for most of the book. The author loses interest once he gets to the late 1970s and the rest is terse and muddled. One could stop there and substitute _Den of Thieves_ for a better understanding of the 1980s.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
a bit boring in parts, and it misunderstands some significant financial events, but a pretty good history of the American financial world for a large chunk of time through the lens of the Morgan companies
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
If financial history is your thing, you MUST read this book. For the rest of you, a great tour through one of the most powerful (if not THE most) bankers to ever walk the earth.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
04/16/08
Alex
is currently reading it
Read in April, 2008
An eloquent history of commercial and investment banking through the lens of arguably the most influential American bank.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2003
recommends it for:
finance types
Bio of the man who re-shaped the US economy. He didn't do it alone, but he definitely accomplished a lot...
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
06/26/08
Jameson
is currently reading it
Good, but large. This is the summer shark to my smaller summer pilot fish...
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2005
A fascinating and enjoyable book tracing the history of the Morgan companies.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2008
That no matter how much things change...they do remain th same.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2006
recommends it for:
Borough dwellers
Perfect companion for long subway rides.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2005
So you REALLY want to understand US history?
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
groups with this book
