false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173377534m/279556.jpg 1325761 4 As Americans cope with the social and industrial changes wrought by the computer age, we seem ready to view with more sympathy the men who shaped the similarly disruptive economic revolution at the turn of the last century. Less than a year after <I>Titan</I>, Ron Chernow's sweeping biography of capitalist par excellence John D. Rockefeller, comes Jean Strouse's searching analysis of J.P. Morgan (1837-1913), the merchant banker whose financial prowess enabled the great American businesses to grow and thrive. Like Chernow, Strouse takes a nuanced view of a man reviled by his contemporaries as a sinister monopolist. Morgan sought to stabilize the volatile American economy and raise the cash needed to fuel its meteoric expansion. His methods were controversial, particularly his fondness for industrial "combinations" that dampened competition, but Strouse's lucid résumé of the historical backdrop illuminates the thinking behind Morgan's actions. As in her groundbreaking biography <I>Alice James</I>, the author never settles for received wisdom, instead reading previously neglected documents with a sharp eye to offer a fresh interpretation. She vividly limns Morgan's imperious personality and such extracurricular interests as his superb art collection. But it's Strouse's ability to clearly convey complex financial material that distinguishes this book. Her chapter on the panic of 1907, which Morgan was instrumental in halting, is as exciting as a good thriller and far more instructive. <I>--Wendy Smith</I> 1315186 30 3 1999 Morgan: American Financier total:26|5:8|4:15|3:3|2:0|1:0| 26 109 63 6 5 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 13 08:10:52 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 08:39:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Mar 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 18:13:47 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 18:21:31 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Apr 15 18:49:21 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 14:44:14 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 18:49:21 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jan 21 09:48:06 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 20 16:06:32 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Nov 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Sep 30 19:17:04 -0700 2009 Sat Nov 07 12:12:23 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Feb 29 18:10:04 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 29 18:11:13 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Wed Nov 25 01:01:20 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 01:01:20 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Mon Nov 16 09:05:16 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 09:05:16 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Oct 03 13:31:43 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 13:31:43 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Sep 30 07:58:54 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 07:58:54 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Sep 12 13:36:10 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 13:36:16 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Sep 04 08:49:41 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 08:49:41 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Aug 10 13:54:49 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 13:54:49 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jul 28 06:59:15 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 28 06:59:15 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jul 22 09:21:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 09:21:07 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jul 19 03:40:48 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 03:40:48 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jun 30 19:18:33 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 19:18:36 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jun 09 22:06:51 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 22:06:51 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jun 04 08:36:59 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 04 08:36:59 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu May 28 18:00:03 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 18:00:03 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=279556