From Publishers Weekly
"The watershed event in American history is not the Civil War but the industrial and managerial revolutions of the late nineteenth century," asserts Klein (Rainbow's End) in this lively survey of influential American entrepreneurs. He draws a clear distinction between such entrepreneurs and robber barons who left no concrete legacy and argues that the 26 men (yes, they're all men) he celebrates here share more qualities with artists committed to creating something new and valuable than with their more notoriously rapacious commercial brethren. Drawing on a vast store of vivid anecdotes, Klein shows that his subjects, including Cornelius Vanderbilt and John Wanamaker, are as idiosyncratic as many artists are; a comparison of Klein's profiles of Henry Ford and Warren Buffett defines the extremes of the personality spectrum from curmudgeonly to congenial. The artistic metaphor fades, however, once the focus shifts to the men's work as innovative producers, organizers, merchandisers, technologists and investors: all were driven to succeed with a decidedly nonbohemian dedication to business epitomized by Thomas Edison, who worked so much that his daughter Madeleine first realized she had a father on a family trip to an ore-separating mine. While many of these men became philanthropists to share the fruits of their success, others kept their fortunes to themselves. For those following the Microsoft antitrust case, Klein's discussion of his entrepreneurs' run-ins with the law (nine have butted up against the Sherman Antitrust Act) will illuminate the shifts in government policy toward entrepreneurship and competition over the last century.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
Klein considers the question, What separates the great entrepreneurs from merely good business people? Business lies at the heart of American culture, with money as the driving force; yet the author's research discovers money to be a by-product of the efforts of 26 famous industrialists, from Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, to Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. These entrepreneurs share similar characteristics, and we learn what they accomplished and how and what factors account for their achievement. Masterful creativity is found within each man, along with his own vision and style, and each often exhibits obsessions and flaws as great as the results achieved. They all show persistence and determination with a fierce drive to succeed; they all had supreme talent and a strong work ethic. All transcend conventional wisdom and while fearing failure they took risks and accepted consequences. This is an excellent book not only for aspiring entrepreneurs but also for those who teach and encourage them. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
