The First Tycoon

The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

By: T.J. Stiles

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 28 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

A gripping, groundbreaking biography of the combative man whose genius and force of will created modern capitalism.

Founder of a dynasty, builder of the original Grand Central, creator of an impossibly vast fortune, Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt is an American icon. Humbly born on Staten Island during George Washington’s presidency, he rose from boatman to builder of the nation’s largest fleet of steamships to lord of a railroad empire. Lincoln consulted him on steamship strategy during the Civil War; Jay Gould was first his uneasy ally and then sworn enemy; and Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president of the United States, was his spiritual counselor. We see Vanderbilt help to launch the transportation revolution, propel the Gold Rush, reshape Manhattan, and invent the modern corporation - in fact, as T. J. Stiles elegantly argues, Vanderbilt did more than perhaps any other individual to create the economic world we live in today.

In The First Tycoon, Stiles offers the first complete, authoritative biography of this titan, and the first comprehensive account of the Commodore’s personal life. It is a sweeping, fast-moving epic, and a complex portrait of the great man. Vanderbilt, Stiles shows, embraced the philosophy of the Jacksonian Democrats and withstood attacks by his conservative enemies for being too competitive. He was a visionary who pioneered business models. He was an unschooled fistfighter who came to command the respect of New York’s social elite. And he was a father who struggled with a gambling-addicted son, a husband who was loving yet abusive, and, finally, an old man who was obsessed with contacting the dead.

The First Tycoon is the exhilarating story of a man and a nation maturing together: The powerful account of a man whose life was as epic and complex as American history itself.

©2009 T.J. Stiles (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

“A penetrating portrait of a complex, self-made titan.” -Citation for the Pulitzer Prize in Biography 2010

“With deep and imaginative research and graceful writing, T. J. Stiles’s The First Tycoon tells the extraordinary story of a brutally competitive man who was hard to love but irresistibly interesting as a truly pivotal historical figure. With few letters and no diaries, and with layers of legend to carve through, Stiles captures Cornelius Vanderbilt as a person and as a force who shaped the transportation revolution, all but invented unbridled American capitalism, and left his mark not only all over New York City but, for better or worse, all over our economic landscape.” -Citation for the National Book Award in Nonfiction 2009

“T.J. Stiles presents the magnate as a man in full.” -Boston Globe Best Books of 2009

The First Tycoon: Cornelius Vanderbilt

A great example of American history. This book includes details at just the right pace.

A great history of Vanderbilt goes a little long

Great performance, excellent writing, but the story of Vanderbilt stops being interesting around 1860. The chapter on Nicaragua is fascinating.

long but good

the. complete history of Cornelius Vanderbilt from cradle to grave. it traces his rise to the most powerful businessman in the world.

Epic account of an American business legend

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It is historically accurate and presents both personal and business views of the character which allows the listener to fully develop an understanding of the persona of the first Vanderbilt. Like his type or not, remember he did business in a different time and the results often created wealth and livelihood for many. Besides the account of his life, this book describes well the times in which he lived.

What did you like best about this story?

Story did not drift from the chronological events that made up the life of the character. It is just the facts. ma'am.

What about Mark Deakins’s performance did you like?

Characterizations

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Vanderbilt's favoritism of one child over others

Any additional comments?

Long but worth the listen especially for business historians

loved it

good book about one of the original robber barons from steam boats to rail roads.

The most interesting econ course you'll ever take

I enjoy reading biographies of influential people and expected to learn about another businessman's life with this book, which I did. What I did not expect was to develop a much better understanding of capitalism, American history, and economics along the way. The riveting story of Cornelius Vanderbilt helped me understand corporate structure, macroeconomics, and the nature of competition in business. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to read it again in a few years.

The start of modern American business

While a little long, this book tells about the rise of one of our greatest entrepreneurs. I really did not know much about the Vanderbilts and Cornelius' influence on modern transportation. I am a bit of a history fan so may not be for everyone but I highly recommend it for a detailed discussion of the beginnings of the Vanderbilt fortune. Narrator is good so it is easy to listen.

Even/fair and informative/interesting

I rate this biography just about perfect. The treatment of a highly complicated man is even/fair and informative/interesting. Never dull.

Loved it!

For a history buff, this was an excellent book. It combined the personal and business life of Vanderbilt perfectly, and spun them together with the political and historical context. It was clearly well-researched, and flew counter to other historical analyses of Vanderbilt based on Stiles' more complete study of his subject. Deakins' performance could be a bit monotone at times, but he seemed to come more alive as the biography progressed.

Love the history... thorough profile of the man

Great story....could have been better written. While I appreciate the old world language and the authenticity of the descriptions, I would have preferred the author come back to the present day language once in awhile. I think the change in language would have made the book easier to plow through....its quite a tome and requires endurance to finish. I own a home in Asheville where Vanderbilt's grandson built a beautiful "castle". I've always wondered about the origin of the money and the sensibilities that allowed such a grand vision come to fruition.