The First Tycoon

A The New York Times Notable Book <br>A Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and Kansas City Star Book of the Year <br> A mighty--and mighty confident--work. . . . This is state-of-the-art biography. . . . The First Tycoon has been widely praised, and rightly so. . . . This is state-of-the-art biography. <br>-- The New York Times <br> Superbly written and researched. . . . Worthy of its subject. <br>-- The Economist <br> Truly remarkable. . . . A landmark study that significantly enhances one's understanding of U.S. economic history. . . . [Stiles is] one of the most exciting writers in the field. <br>-- Foreign Affairs <br> Stiles has painted a full-bodied, nuanced picture of the man. . . . Elegance of style and fair-minded intent illuminate Stiles's latest, expectedly profound exploration of American culture in the raw. <br>-- The Boston Globe <br> Stiles, a superb researcher, has unearthed quantities of new material and crafted them into the illuminating, authoritative portrait of Vanderbilt that has been missing for so long. <br>-- The Washington Post <br> Very absorbing. . . . Much more than a biography. The book is filled with important, exhaustively researched and indeed fascinating details that would profit every student of American business and social history to read. <br>-- San Francisco Chronicle <br> Stiles writes with both the panache of a fine journalist and the analytical care of a seasoned scholar. And he offers a fruitful way to think about the larger history of American elites as well as the life of one of their most famous members. <br>-- The New York Times Book Review <br> Vanderbilt's story is indeed epic, and so is The First Tycoon. . . . Stiles is a perceptive and witty writer with a remarkable ability to paint a picture of the America in which Vanderbilt lived. <br>-- The Christian Science Monitor <br> Fascinating.,