Cornelius Vanderbilt - The Commodore: Insight and Analysis Into the Life and Success of America's First Tycoon

Cornelius Vanderbilt I had no illusions about his life. He didn't start out with grand plans and ungodly greed. He merely stepped in this world one foot at a time, one boat at a time, one market at a time--one day at a time. He worked sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. He worked hard and played hard. When all was said and done, though, he was a simple man who pushed the world of transportation to be all it could be--to be what it is today.

The times he lived through and contributed to i...