The Robber Barons: John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Cornelius Vanderbilt

By: Andrew Green

Narrated by: John York

Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

The three richest men in American history: John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.

For those given the privilege of being alive during the Gilded Age of America, the expansion of the American economy was truly astounding to watch. With Cornelius Vanderbilt controlling the monopoly on the waterways and Andrew Carnegie operating the steel monopoly, many wondered if there was another monopoly to be controlled in America. The answer to this came in the form of John D. Rockefeller, oil tycoon and the product of an upbringing that focused on hard work and treating everyone with fairness.

Through calculated business transactions and a strategy founded on risk and reward, John D. Rockefeller became America’s richest businessman and the first billionaire in the history of America. However, while the wealth of John was enough to warrant a second glance into the life of the industrialist, John found his true love in dispersing the wealth amassed during his lifetime. With John being able to retire at the age of 56, the final 41 years of his life would be spent investing his wealth back into the American culture. With the aid of millionaire friends from the Gilded Age, John created a blueprint of philanthropy that would be followed by future generations and bestow aid on the common man.

Through the efforts of John Rockefeller, the first charities and organizations designed to provide scientific research via funding from philanthropists were created. Despite the marring wounds stemming from the allegations of collusion in the early 1900s, John’s contributions to America varied from employment to philanthropy.

©2018 Andrew Green (P)2018 Flâneur Media

A personal historical perspective

While not focusing so much on the historical documentation of the times, it was my interest to discover the beginnings of these philanthropic men, mission accomplished.

very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!!

A Brief Look at the Wealthiest Men in America

This is a well written overview of three of the men whose wealth and business acumen made American what it is today.
It provides information on the early lives, business acquisitions and charitable work of all three. I enjoyed it because it provided me with enough information to make each of them more than just an name on the the side of a prominent building.
In order to truly know any of the three, it would take considerable study and many scholarly volumes, but this book provides enough knowledge to begin to piece together the history of corporate America and it will take you hours, not days or weeks.

Great perspective on Men who changed America

This Audio book is a quick way to learn about men who changed America in so many ways.

They learned from their mistakes and gave back to a Country that gave them the opportunity to accumulate great wealth.

The Narrator did a good job with the material.



This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Incredibly influential

These men are all incredibly influential men and learning about how it shaped our country is pretty interesting. I recommend.

With a name like robber barrons maybe talk about the bad parts of their life

Way too positive. Never even talked about homestead with Carnegie. Narrator was terrible. This book was not good.

The Robber Barons by Matthew Josephson

Many years ago I was required to read The Robber Barons by Matthew Josephson for an economic history course and it made a lasting impression upon me. I had forgotten the author's name, and mistakenly purchased this book with a similar name and topic. Well, this is definitely not the book I read in college. Rather than capturing a historical perspective of the robber barons, this book is a homage to their contributions and greatness. Needless to say, I'm disappointed that The Robber Barons by Matthew Josephson is not available in audiobook format.