Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

by Edward J. Renehan Jr.

Overview

Armed with a trove of previously unreleased archives, Edward J. Renehan Jr. offers a compelling portrait of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who built large shipping and rail enterprises into cornerstones of the American economy, and amassed one of the greatest fortunes the world has ever known. This is the definitive biography of a man whose influence on American business was unsurpassed in his day — or any other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465002566
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	04/14/2009
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Edward J. Renehan Jr.'s books include Dark Genius of Wall Street, The Kennedys at War, The Lion's Pride, The Secret Six, and John Burroughs: An American Naturalist. He has given talks and lectures throughout the Northeast and has appeared on the History Channel, C-SPAN, PBS's American Experience, and numerous other broadcasts. He lives in Rhode Island.

Editorial Reviews

This entertaining biography makes clear that Cornelius Vanderbilt was a dreadful person. As examples, he berated his wife for bearing ten daughters and "only" three sons, and he bought full-page ads to inform his business rivals that he intended not just to put them out of business, but to ruin them. This charmer became the richest man in U.S. history. John McDonough's usual warm baritone sounds a bit reedy here, but he nonetheless delivers a fine performance. His delivery is matter-of-fact, conveying neither despair at the awful events nor satisfaction at the good times. McDonough's narration combines with Renehan's fine writing to produce an endlessly interesting story of the rewards of hard work, viciousness, and cunning. R.E.K. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

JULY 2008 - AudioFile