The House of Morgan

An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance

By: Ron Chernow

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Winner of the National Book Award and now considered a classic, The House of Morgan is the most ambitious history ever written about an American banking dynasty. Acclaimed by the Wall Street Journal as "brilliantly researched and written", the book tells the rich, panoramic story of four generations of Morgans and the powerful, secretive firms they spawned. It is the definitive account of the rise of the modern financial world. A gripping history of banking and the booms and busts that shaped the world on both sides of the Atlantic, The House of Morgan traces the trajectory of the J. P.Morgan empire from its obscure beginnings in Victorian London to the crash of 1987. Ron Chernow paints a fascinating portrait of the private saga of the Morgans and the rarefied world of the American and British elite in which they moved. Based on extensive interviews and access to the family and business archives, The House of Morgan is an investigative masterpiece, a compelling account of a remarkable institution and the men who ran it, and an essential book for understanding the money and power behind the major historical events of the last 150 years.

©2014 Ron Chernow (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

Monumental. Loved it.

This is the first Ron Chernow book I have read. Wow, what a storyteller. I presume the reader already has an interest in the overall topic. Mr Chernow has a way of plucking out a telling little detail that sets a scene or gives a sense of a personality marvelously. And he tirelessly delivers this sort of thing across a vast canvas. He did the same with Alexander Hamilton, as I have since heard it. I hope an audio of his book "The Warburgs" is forthcoming.

Morgan Stanley House on Fire

Morgan Stanley's story should be required reading for every employee of Morgan Stanley and every Financial Advisor in America.

Starts off strong, tapers off at end

This was a great book, and Robertson Dean is a fantastic narrator whose voice was great for the subject matter. The strength of the book was the first two thirds, especially as a biography of the early Morgan dynasty. The last third of the book, covering the post-World War 2 era, was interesting but also more difficult to follow as the number of characters multiplied. It was, however, an interesting hot take on the downtown of the late 1980s including the 1987 crash. The book was published in 1990, Chernows telling is interesting to read in light of the further evolution of the banking industry that occurred in the 1990s and of course the 2007-08 recession. All in all a great survey of the evolution of the global financial system from the mid-1800s to the 1980s, told through the lens of the Morgan family of banks.

Interesting but too detailed

An interesting story buried under a mountain of uninteresting details. It would have been better if it was shorter.

history buffs and bankers delight

this is a great chronology of how banking has evolved with time. I enjoyed this immensely.