First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

A gripping, groundbreaking biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the combative business titan whose genius and force of will created modern capitalism.

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

Review Quotes:
A The New York Times Notable Book

A Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and Kansas City Star Book of the Year

\”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.\”
— The New York Times

\”Superbly written and researched. . . . Worthy of its subject.\”
— The Economist

\”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.\”
— Foreign Affairs

\”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.\”
— The Boston Globe

\”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.\”
— The Washington Post

\”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.\”
— San Francisco Chronicle

Format: Paperback
Imprint: Vintage UK
Publication date: 20/04/2010