-
Prince of Darkness
- The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $29.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Black Titan
- A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire
- By: Carol Jenkins
- Narrated by: Susan Spain
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A.G. Gaston, the poor grandson of slaves, was born in the Deep South in 1892. Over the course of his extraordinary life, he amassed a fortune of over $130 million and a vast business empire. The story of his remarkable life is written with eloquence and grace by his niece, an Emmy¿ Award-winning journalist and her daughter, who holds degrees from Yale and Harvard.
-
-
Black Gold = Standing Ovation
- By 2Fresh on 01-20-16
By: Carol Jenkins
-
Black Fortunes
- The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires
- By: Shomari Wills
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The astonishing untold history of America's first Black millionaires - former slaves who endured incredible challenges to amass and maintain their wealth for a century, from the Jacksonian period to the Roaring '20s - self-made entrepreneurs whose unknown success mirrored that of American business heroes such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison.
-
-
True His/Herstory
- By Brazy Brazy on 06-25-18
By: Shomari Wills
-
The Original Black Elite
- Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era
- By: Elizabeth Dowling Taylor
- Narrated by: Karen Chilton
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This cultural biography tells the enthralling story of the high-achieving Black elites who thrived in the nation's capital during Reconstruction. Daniel Murray (1851-1925), an assistant librarian at the Library of Congress, was a prominent member of this glorious class. Murray's life was reflective of those who were well-off at the time. This social circle included African American educators, ministers, lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, US senators and representatives, and other government officials.
-
-
awesome
- By Melissa on 09-27-19
-
Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?
- How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion-Dollar Business Empire
- By: Reginald F. Lewis, Blair S. Walker
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Christina Lewis
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When six-year-old Reginald Lewis overheard his grandparents discussing employment discrimination against African Americans, he asked, “Why should white guys have all the fun?" This self-assured child would grow up to become the CEO of Beatrice International and one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever. At the time of his death in 1993, his personal fortune was estimated in excess of $400 million and his vast commercial empire spanned four continents.
-
-
Outstanding- inspiring and instructional
- By Gavin S on 09-15-20
By: Reginald F. Lewis, and others
-
Will
- By: Will Smith, Mark Manson
- Narrated by: Will Smith
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, in a brave and inspiring book that traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned. Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.
-
-
Will sure loves Will
- By Kejeco on 11-18-21
By: Will Smith, and others
-
The Color of Money
- Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap
- By: Mehrsa Baradaran
- Narrated by: Lisa Reneé Pitts
- Length: 15 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, the black community owned less than one percent of the United States' total wealth. More than 150 years later, that number has barely budged. The Color of Money pursues the persistence of this racial wealth gap by focusing on the generators of wealth in the black community: black banks. The catch-22 of black banking is that the very institutions needed to help communities escape the deep poverty caused by discrimination and segregation inevitably became victims of that same poverty.
-
-
Both a Bridge and a Battle Cry
- By Darwin8u on 09-26-17
By: Mehrsa Baradaran
-
Black Titan
- A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire
- By: Carol Jenkins
- Narrated by: Susan Spain
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A.G. Gaston, the poor grandson of slaves, was born in the Deep South in 1892. Over the course of his extraordinary life, he amassed a fortune of over $130 million and a vast business empire. The story of his remarkable life is written with eloquence and grace by his niece, an Emmy¿ Award-winning journalist and her daughter, who holds degrees from Yale and Harvard.
-
-
Black Gold = Standing Ovation
- By 2Fresh on 01-20-16
By: Carol Jenkins
-
Black Fortunes
- The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires
- By: Shomari Wills
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The astonishing untold history of America's first Black millionaires - former slaves who endured incredible challenges to amass and maintain their wealth for a century, from the Jacksonian period to the Roaring '20s - self-made entrepreneurs whose unknown success mirrored that of American business heroes such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison.
-
-
True His/Herstory
- By Brazy Brazy on 06-25-18
By: Shomari Wills
-
The Original Black Elite
- Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era
- By: Elizabeth Dowling Taylor
- Narrated by: Karen Chilton
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This cultural biography tells the enthralling story of the high-achieving Black elites who thrived in the nation's capital during Reconstruction. Daniel Murray (1851-1925), an assistant librarian at the Library of Congress, was a prominent member of this glorious class. Murray's life was reflective of those who were well-off at the time. This social circle included African American educators, ministers, lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, US senators and representatives, and other government officials.
-
-
awesome
- By Melissa on 09-27-19
-
Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?
- How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion-Dollar Business Empire
- By: Reginald F. Lewis, Blair S. Walker
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Christina Lewis
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When six-year-old Reginald Lewis overheard his grandparents discussing employment discrimination against African Americans, he asked, “Why should white guys have all the fun?" This self-assured child would grow up to become the CEO of Beatrice International and one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever. At the time of his death in 1993, his personal fortune was estimated in excess of $400 million and his vast commercial empire spanned four continents.
-
-
Outstanding- inspiring and instructional
- By Gavin S on 09-15-20
By: Reginald F. Lewis, and others
-
Will
- By: Will Smith, Mark Manson
- Narrated by: Will Smith
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, in a brave and inspiring book that traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned. Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.
-
-
Will sure loves Will
- By Kejeco on 11-18-21
By: Will Smith, and others
-
The Color of Money
- Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap
- By: Mehrsa Baradaran
- Narrated by: Lisa Reneé Pitts
- Length: 15 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, the black community owned less than one percent of the United States' total wealth. More than 150 years later, that number has barely budged. The Color of Money pursues the persistence of this racial wealth gap by focusing on the generators of wealth in the black community: black banks. The catch-22 of black banking is that the very institutions needed to help communities escape the deep poverty caused by discrimination and segregation inevitably became victims of that same poverty.
-
-
Both a Bridge and a Battle Cry
- By Darwin8u on 09-26-17
By: Mehrsa Baradaran
-
The 1619 Project
- A New Origin Story
- By: Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times Magazine, Caitlin Roper - editor, and others
- Narrated by: Nikole Hannah-Jones, Full Cast
- Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning “1619 Project” issue reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This new book substantially expands on that work, weaving together 18 essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with 36 poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance.
-
-
History demands the official story be corrected
- By David C. on 12-05-21
By: Nikole Hannah-Jones, and others
-
The Spook Who Sat by the Door
- By: Sam Greenlee, Natiki Hope Pressley
- Narrated by: Dion Graham, Natiki Hope Pressley
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Continuously available in print since 1968, this novel has become embedded in progressive anti-racist culture with wide circulation of the book and hotly debated film. A literary classic, The Spook Who Sat by the Door is a strong comment on entrenched racial inequities in the United States in the late 1960s. With its focus on the “militancy” that characterized the Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s, this is the story of one man’s reaction to ruling-class hypocrisy.
-
-
The Book that Threatened the White Establishment
- By MK on 06-22-20
By: Sam Greenlee, and others
-
Black Wall Street
- The History of the Greenwood District Before the Tulsa Race Riot
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Stephen Platt
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Overall, Tulsa in 1921 was considered a modern, vibrant city. What had fueled this remarkable growth was oil, specifically the discovery of the Glenn Pool oil field in 1905. Within five years, Tulsa had grown from a rural crossroads town in the former Indian Territory into a boom town with more than 10,000 citizens, and as word spread of the fortunes that could be made in Tulsa, people of all races poured into the city.
-
-
Bombs dropped on Black Wall St. wasn't mentioned.
- By Anonymous User on 05-03-21
-
Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem
- A Memoir
- By: Daniel R. Day
- Narrated by: Omari Hardwick, Daniel R. Day
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With his now-legendary store on 125th Street in Harlem, Dapper Dan pioneered high-end streetwear in the 1980s, remixing classic luxury-brand logos into his own innovative, glamorous designs. But before he reinvented haute couture, he was a hungry boy with holes in his shoes, a teen who daringly gambled drug dealers out of their money, and a young man in a prison cell who found nourishment in books. In this remarkable memoir, he tells his full story for the first time.
-
-
Textbook for the Ages
- By Joël j. Sylvain on 07-13-19
By: Daniel R. Day
-
Destruction of Black Civilization
- Great Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C. to 2000 A.D.
- By: Chancellor Williams
- Narrated by: Joseph Kent
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Destruction of Black Civilization is revelatory and revolutionary because it offers a new approach to the research, teaching, and study of African history by shifting the main focus from the history of Arabs and Europeans in Africa to the Africans themselves. The book, thus, offers "a history of blacks that is a history of blacks".
-
-
Great & fascinating history & manifesto for change
- By Katie D. on 05-18-20
-
The Splendid and the Vile
- A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
- By: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: John Lee, Erik Larson
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On Winston Churchill’s first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next 12 months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally - and willing to fight to the end. In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows how Churchill taught the British people "the art of being fearless."
-
-
John Lee’s narration is a struggle
- By Leslie Rathjens on 03-05-20
By: Erik Larson
-
Real Life, Real Love
- Life Lessons on Joy, Pain, & the Magic That Holds Us Together
- By: Gia Casey, Raashaun "DJ Envy" Casey
- Narrated by: Gia Casey, Raashaun "DJ Envy" Casey
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gia and Raashaun Casey met when they were two teenagers living around the corner from each other in Queens. They have been together for an astounding 25 years and have remained together through Raashaun's growing celebrity, a devastating (and very public) cheating scandal, and the births of five children. Now, they are stronger and more committed to each other ever, and their fans are clamoring to know how they did it. In Real Life, Real Love, Gia and Raashaun explore the entire chronology of their love story with remarkable vulnerability, searing honesty, and a lot of humor.
-
-
A book you won’t put down til the end.
- By D.dyme on 04-23-22
By: Gia Casey, and others
-
Before the Mayflower
- A History of Black America
- By: Lerone Bennett
- Narrated by: John Ridle
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The black experience in America - starting from its origins in western Africa up to 1961 - is examined in this seminal study from a prominent African American figure. The entire historical timeline of African Americans is addressed, from the Colonial period through the civil rights upheavals of the late 1950s to 1961, the time of publication.
-
-
Very informative, worth listening to thrice..
- By Alednam A Uonopk on 04-13-21
By: Lerone Bennett
-
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
-
-
I guess the Mongols needed a cheerleader?
- By Mike Reiter on 06-29-16
By: Jack Weatherford
-
The Peebles Principles
- Tales and Tactics from an Entrepreneur's Life of Winning Deals, Succeeding in Business, and Creating a Fortune from Scratch
- By: R. Donahue Peebles
- Narrated by: Dion Graham, R. Donahue Peebles
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Part The Art of the Deal and part Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun, The Peebles Principles distills the lessons Mr. Peebles has learned on his journey from congressional page to CEO of the largest black-owned real-estate development firm in the nation. These crisp, straightforward principles can help any motivated entrepreneur go from dirt poor to filthy rich in a hurry.
-
-
Great Read and Priceless Gems
- By Jarrett C Bartlett on 08-09-22
-
Mansa Musa and Timbuktu: A Fascinating History from Beginning to End
- By: World Changing History
- Narrated by: Darseaux James
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the West coast of Africa there once, the Mali empire in its Golden Age was once bigger than the entirety of Western Europe put together, made possible by the efforts of one man Mansa Musa the Sultan of Mali. He was the richest man to have ever lived, worth 400 billion dollars in today's terms, his gold mines supplied the British Empire and the rest of the European Empires for 800 years, despite the dry desolate environment of Mali he founded the greatest center of learning in all of world Timbuktu, his great holy pilgrimage to Mecca was the greatest the world had seen.
-
-
UNBELIEVABLE, BUT EXPECTED
- By Sgt Ryan E. Strickland on 06-18-21
-
The Lincoln Conspiracy
- The Secret Plot to Kill America's 16th President - and Why It Failed
- By: Brad Meltzer, Josh Mensch
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone knows the story of Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865, but few are aware of the original conspiracy to kill him four years earlier in 1861, literally on his way to Washington, DC, for his first inauguration. The conspirators were part of a pro-Southern secret society that didn't want an antislavery President in the White House. They planned an elaborate scheme to assassinate the brand new President in Baltimore as Lincoln's inauguration train passed through en route to the Capitol.
-
-
A Trip Through History
- By Bridget Preece on 05-05-20
By: Brad Meltzer, and others
Publisher's Summary
In the middle decades of the 19th century Jeremiah G. Hamilton was a well-known figure on Wall Street. He was reportedly the richest African American man in the United States, possessing a fortune of $2 million, or in excess of $250 million in today's currency.
In Prince of Darkness, a groundbreaking and vivid account, eminent historian Shane White reveals the larger-than-life story of a man who defied every convention of his time. He wheeled and dealed in the lily-white business world, he married a White woman, he bought a mansion in rural New Jersey, he owned railroad stock on trains he was not legally allowed to ride, and he generally set his White contemporaries' teeth on edge when he wasn't just plain outsmarting them. An important contribution to American history, Hamilton's life offers a way into considering, from the unusual perspective of a Black man, subjects that are usually seen as being quintessentially White, totally segregated from the African American past.
More from the same
What listeners say about Prince of Darkness
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- AlTonya
- 07-28-17
Not A Nice Man, But A Smart One!
I’d never heard of Jeremiah Hamilton, before coming across Prince of Darkness on the shelves at my library. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that none of the vast number of resources in the library of the HBCU (Historically Black College/University) where I worked, had no mention of a man who had amassed the kind of wealth and notoriety Hamilton had in a time when it was unheard of for a black man to claim such success. Moreover, I found little mention of Hamilton's existence referenced anywhere I'd have expected.
As I worked my way through this book, I came to understand why there has been little to no mention of Hamilton among other African American heroes. The fact was, Hamilton was not viewed as a hero and while reading ‘Darkness’, I understood-given the material presented-he had no desire to be. Nevertheless, Hamilton was an undeniable success. He crafted a remarkable life for himself and his family.
I found Shane White’s account to be exceptionally thorough. I had hoped the book would focus a little more on Mr. Hamilton-the man and his interests beyond making money or bringing to justice those who owed him. Given that there is so little information about Hamilton; outside of his financial wheelings and dealings, I suppose the author worked with what he had. I found much of the book to be more an account of the financial and racial climate of New York seasoned by Mr. Hamilton’s prowess and determination to carry out his personal agenda.
Though Jeremiah Hamilton’s methods were questionable; one might say selfish and corrupt, it can’t be denied that they were effective. While we as a people enjoy inspiring stories of those dynamos in our culture who have surpassed the literal and figurative chains geared to ‘keep us in our places’, I think it’s important to embrace the full range of these stories. Hamilton was not a hero in the usual sense, but his efforts as a mover, shaker and undeniable game changer; in the days of Wall Street’s infancy, make his story worth knowing. He was a man who didn’t allow his race to determine his station in life. This is perhaps the most valuable lesson from Hamilton's life story.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kayode Parham
- 12-10-16
One of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to.
Well written. Great narration. Insightful look into early America, early American racial politics, and early American business culture.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Gregory
- 05-10-17
Prince of litigation
Shane White's research is impressive and John Lee's lilt is enjoyable but the tale of Jeremiah G Hamilton is less a whirlwind of wheeling & dealing and more a trail of skullduggery and litigation from which Hamilton somehow came out ahead. White notes a lack of primary sources so while readers learn what books Hamilton kept in his library we are left to speculate as to his reasons for reading them. Likewise there is no trove of personal journals to uncover Hamilton's thoughts on being a man of his station at this moment in history. The story provides a ton of context of life in antebellum NYC but without the subject's own voice much of the Prince of Darkness' life remains obscured.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 1up
- 02-10-16
Simply loved the story
Rich in historical and social content. Also, the storytellers voice is engaging. I could see this book making an excellent movie for it has all the elements, action, intrigue and the like.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- T A Thompson
- 06-02-16
Good and helpful book
Well written and narrated. Interesting approach-expanding on newspaper articles. Thanks for insight into the life of a bold black man of the post-slavery, pre-civil war era.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Troy Horne
- 08-05-17
Casual Historian
I loved learning about this AMAZING African American titan. I am still amazed at how much adversity he overcame to be as successful as he was. Amazing book!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michiko
- 09-20-18
Worth listening to
Good work considering how few sources the author had to work with. Jeremiah Hamilton is worth learning about, and the book also describes race relations in New York City in the 19th century and brought up points I had never thought about. There are a couple of dry chapters detailing (perhaps too closely) some of Hamilton's court cases, but overall it's a good biography about someone that more people should be aware of.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brandon D. Gilkey
- 06-08-18
He refused to accept the role forced upon him!
This book was interesting, I like Mr. Hamilton had the ability to play to game like the men of his time.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Moe
- 10-25-17
Dry, but informative. Wild times & a man of them
Ver text book vibe, but let you see a world of unregulated markets & an extraordinary man who worked his time to his advantage, despite obvious obstacles.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lovnlyfe
- 02-26-17
Couldn't Stop Listening
Life...such an amazing adventure. Superbly written and narrated. The details painted a vivid portrait of Mr. Hamilton's life.
1 person found this helpful