Andrew Carnegie
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：David Nasaw
- ISBN：0143112449
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Summary
Celebrated historian David Nasaw， whom The New York Times Book Review has called "a meticulous researcher and a cool analyst，" brings new life to the story of one of America's most famous and successful businessmen and philanthropists—in what will prove to be the biography of the season。
Born of modest origins in Scotland in 1835， Andrew Carnegie is best known as the founder of Carnegie Steel。 His rags to riches story has never been told as dramatically and vividly as in Nasaw's new biography。 Carnegie， the son of an impoverished linen weaver， moved to Pittsburgh at the age of thirteen。 The embodiment of the American dream， he pulled himself up from bobbin boy in a cotton factory to become the richest man in the world。 He spent the rest of his life giving away the fortune he had accumulated and crusading for international peace。 For all that he accomplished and came to represent to the American public—a wildly successful businessman and capitalist， a self-educated writer， peace activist， philanthropist， man of letters， lover of culture， and unabashed enthusiast for American democracy and capitalism—Carnegie has remained， to this day， an enigma。
Nasaw explains how Carnegie made his early fortune and what prompted him to give it all away， how he was drawn into the campaign first against American involvement in the Spanish-American War and then for international peace， and how he used his friendships with presidents and prime ministers to try to pull the world back from the brink of disaster。
With a trove of new material—unpublished chapters of Carnegie's Autobiography; personal letters between Carnegie and his future wife， Louise， and other family members; his prenuptial agreement; diaries of family and close friends; his applications for citizenship; his extensive correspondence with Henry Clay Frick; and dozens of private letters to and from presidents Grant， Cleveland， McKinley， Roosevelt， and British prime ministers Gladstone and Balfour， as well as friends Herbert Spencer， Matthew Arnold， and Mark Twain—Nasaw brilliantly plumbs the core of this facinating and complex man， deftly placing his life in cultural and political context as only a master storyteller can。
Born of modest origins in Scotland in 1835， Andrew Carnegie is best known as the founder of Carnegie Steel。 His rags to riches story has never been told as dramatically and vividly as in Nasaw's new biography。 Carnegie， the son of an impoverished linen weaver， moved to Pittsburgh at the age of thirteen。 The embodiment of the American dream， he pulled himself up from bobbin boy in a cotton factory to become the richest man in the world。 He spent the rest of his life giving away the fortune he had accumulated and crusading for international peace。 For all that he accomplished and came to represent to the American public—a wildly successful businessman and capitalist， a self-educated writer， peace activist， philanthropist， man of letters， lover of culture， and unabashed enthusiast for American democracy and capitalism—Carnegie has remained， to this day， an enigma。
Nasaw explains how Carnegie made his early fortune and what prompted him to give it all away， how he was drawn into the campaign first against American involvement in the Spanish-American War and then for international peace， and how he used his friendships with presidents and prime ministers to try to pull the world back from the brink of disaster。
With a trove of new material—unpublished chapters of Carnegie's Autobiography; personal letters between Carnegie and his future wife， Louise， and other family members; his prenuptial agreement; diaries of family and close friends; his applications for citizenship; his extensive correspondence with Henry Clay Frick; and dozens of private letters to and from presidents Grant， Cleveland， McKinley， Roosevelt， and British prime ministers Gladstone and Balfour， as well as friends Herbert Spencer， Matthew Arnold， and Mark Twain—Nasaw brilliantly plumbs the core of this facinating and complex man， deftly placing his life in cultural and political context as only a master storyteller can。
Reviews
Jeremy
，
A man worth hating and a man worth loving。 Brilliantly written。
Meredith
，
Psychobiography， in style。 Audiobook is excellent。 Long but very interesting and engaging。
AJ
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19:13 06/14/21AudioNew Vernon， NJGood but long and I was just not as interested in Carnegie as other people。
Chris
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I enjoyed it。
Christopher
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Interestingly hypocritical man。 Can see where Gates get his inspiration。
Erick
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Long， informative， but long。 The first half was more interesting than the last half， but it did a good job summing up the remarkable life of a remarkable man。
Ed
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A bit dry， boring。 Great glimpse into the "Robber Baron"'s view of labor， organized labor， and philanthropy。 Audio book's reader is phenomenal。 A bit dry， boring。 Great glimpse into the "Robber Baron"'s view of labor， organized labor， and philanthropy。 Audio book's reader is phenomenal。 。。。more
Amy Cullen
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I only made it halfway through。。。 it’s just too long。 The two star rating is not based upon the writing style。 It’s just more information than I could possibly ever need to know about Carnegie。
David
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A much more fascinating person than John D。 Rockefeller， and impressive that he strove to give almost all his wealth away during his lifetime。As exhaustively researched as Chernow’s “Titan” but much more approachable （Chernow gets bogged down in somewhat esoteric vocabulary there）。 Between the two Robber Barons， I’d rather sit and have a beer with Carnegie （especially since Rockefeller didn’t drink）。
Montessahall Montessahall
，
First， I need to sound off about negative reviews written about biographies。 I believe reviews of biographies should speak to the writing， research and overall quality of the book。 The subject of the biography while one can criticize or make comments about their life， in no way should penalize the author’s efforts to tell their story。 That being said， this book is a well researched and well written book。 Carnegie was like many of his time， ambitious to pursue wealth and upward social mobility an First， I need to sound off about negative reviews written about biographies。 I believe reviews of biographies should speak to the writing， research and overall quality of the book。 The subject of the biography while one can criticize or make comments about their life， in no way should penalize the author’s efforts to tell their story。 That being said， this book is a well researched and well written book。 Carnegie was like many of his time， ambitious to pursue wealth and upward social mobility and respect。 。。。more
Harry Harman
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- 25 Nov 1835 born in Dunfermline， Scotland。 His father hand wove looms to make cloth。 The steam-powered loom put his father out of work。- 1848 his parents sold all their possessions， borrowed £20， and restarted their lives in Pittsburgh， America。 The manufacturing hub at the time。- Andrew lands a job at Pennsylvania Railroad。 The largest company at the time。 He was a messenger boy delivering telegraph。 He would memorise the names of everyone he delivered to。- 1852 （Age 17） he grew increasingly - 25 Nov 1835 born in Dunfermline， Scotland。 His father hand wove looms to make cloth。 The steam-powered loom put his father out of work。- 1848 his parents sold all their possessions， borrowed £20， and restarted their lives in Pittsburgh， America。 The manufacturing hub at the time。- Andrew lands a job at Pennsylvania Railroad。 The largest company at the time。 He was a messenger boy delivering telegraph。 He would memorise the names of everyone he delivered to。- 1852 （Age 17） he grew increasingly skilled at Morse code。 This caught the eye of Thomas Scott， vice president of Pennsylvania Railroad company， who hired Carnegie to be his personal telegrapher for £35 / month。 He saw a lot of headroom in Carnegie and decided to take him under his wing。- 1861 （Age 26） American Civil War happens。 Instead of fighting in the war， Carnegie was able to escape harm's way after paying $850 for a substitute to take his place in the battlefield。- 1865 （Age 30） （Problem） he noticed that the wooden bridges were easily burnt by the troops。 There was a desperate need for iron bridges to replace them。 （Solution） He launched the Keystone Bridge company。 It housed iron mining， bridge building， and selling railroads。 Vertical integration improved control and margins。- In 1856， Henry Bessemer patents his technology for mass-producing steel。- 1872 （Age 37） Andrew set up a steel mill to commercialise Henry's patent。 As an act of reciprocity， he named it after his largest customer， "Edgar Thomson Steel Works"。 Thompson ordered 2，000 units。 Acts like this would continue to pay dividends throughout Carnegie's career。* He hired the brightest engineers to work 364 days a year and to replace themselves with machines at every possible opportunity。* His steel mill had an order of magnitude more efficiency than any other mill comparable to its size。- 1893 （Age 58） mass produced steel birthed the technological inflection point for skyscrapers。- 1901 （Age 66） Andrew sells his steel company to J。 P。 Morgan for $303，450，000。 He spent the last 18 years of his life donating 90% of his wealth。 Not a single dollar went to his family。 In total， 2，509 libraries were built through his trust deed。 He credits libraries for helping him achieve his financial success。 。。。more
Sidney
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I am interested in Andrew Carnegie， but also not sure I will finish the book。。。。
Jon
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I thought a decent read and I learned a lot about Andrew Carnegie。 That said， I did not find the writing to be riveting or constructed in a way as to keep the pages turning。 So I found the book to be somewhat laborious in certain sections and it took me a good while to read it as a result。 It was quite detailed and I think the book would’ve benefited from being more condensed （shortened）。 Nonetheless， what a fascinating character study of a rags to riches， larger than life person。 The “star-span I thought a decent read and I learned a lot about Andrew Carnegie。 That said， I did not find the writing to be riveting or constructed in a way as to keep the pages turning。 So I found the book to be somewhat laborious in certain sections and it took me a good while to read it as a result。 It was quite detailed and I think the book would’ve benefited from being more condensed （shortened）。 Nonetheless， what a fascinating character study of a rags to riches， larger than life person。 The “star-spangled Scotsman” was also an enigma and a bit of a walking contradiction。 Particularly as Teddy Roosevelt said best regarding how poorly he treated his employees and partners and had no place lecturing heads of state as a result。 Yet he was also a loving husband， father， friend and philanthropist and quite prescient on what led to World War 1。 I think too that his last years were given some short shrift from the author， 785 pages or so of him living in vigor and then just a few pages of his decline。 I would’ve appreciated an epilogue of his legacy discussing his impact on contemporary society， industry， business and culture。 Book ended flat in my view as a result。 Read that last paragraph and said to myself， “and that’s how this story ends？”。 。。。more
David Cook
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As a young boy I remember my sister taking me to the Carnegie Library in my home town。 I wasn’t really it was called the Carnegie library and she told me that a rich man built libraries in cities all over the country。 That building is now long gone but I remember thinking what kind of a man was Mr。 Carnegie。 Carnegie’s story is one of the great stories in American history。 A penniless 12-year-old Scottish immigrant in 1848。 Only 12 years later he was already very prosperous。 Carnegie’s assistant As a young boy I remember my sister taking me to the Carnegie Library in my home town。 I wasn’t really it was called the Carnegie library and she told me that a rich man built libraries in cities all over the country。 That building is now long gone but I remember thinking what kind of a man was Mr。 Carnegie。 Carnegie’s story is one of the great stories in American history。 A penniless 12-year-old Scottish immigrant in 1848。 Only 12 years later he was already very prosperous。 Carnegie’s assistant said， “He loved to find his own joy of living reflected by those about him。 He was the most consistently happy man I ever knew。” Carnegie made friends easily and had a keen eye for which friends to make on the way up and which young men to teach when he himself had reached the top。 Making a colossal fortune was not enough for him。 Unlike many of his capitalist brethren of that era， Carnegie had an intense need to improve the world。 With little formal schooling， he read and wrote dozens of articles and books， including his autobiography， published the year after his death。 His book “The Gospel of Wealth，” published in 1889， was a primer on the workings of political economy and an advice manual for actual and hopeful millionaires。Despite his strong social conscience， he didn’t hesitate to have Henry Clay Frick do what was necessary to break the union at the Homestead Steel Works in 1892， damaging his reputation for years。 Carnegie made steel cheaper than iron and soon buildings began to soar。 In 1860 the United States produced only about 1，600 tons of steel。 By 1900 the Carnegie Steel Company alone was producing more than the entire British steel industry。 Carnegie’s formula for success simple， quickly adopt the latest technology so as always to be the low-cost producer， retain profits in good times to acquire during hard times。 Carnegie’s mother， who was a major influence in his life， lived with him until her death in 1886。 The following year， at age 51，he married Louise Whitfield， who was two decades his junior and the daughter of a New York City merchant。 The couple had one child， Margaret who died in 1990。 During the last 18 years of his life， he gave away $350 million （roughly $5。2 billion） to many charities， foundations， and universities – almost 90 percent of his fortune。Despite its length， this book is very engaging。 Quotes“The growing disposition to tax more and more heavily large estates left at death is a cheering indication of the growth of a salutary change in public opinion。 The State of Pennsylvania now takes–subject to some exceptions–one tenth of the property left by its citizens。 The budget presented in the British Parliament the other day proposes to increase the death duties; and， most significant of all， the new tax is to be a graduated one。 Of all forms of taxation this seems the wisest。 Men who continue hoarding great sums all their lives， the proper use of which for public ends would work good to the community from which it chiefly came， should be made to feel that the community， in the form of the State， cannot thus be deprived of its proper share。 By taxing estates heavily at death the State marks its condemnation of the selfish millionaire's unworthy life。” 。。。more
Bryan Alkire
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Not very good and very disappointing。 I’ve always thought Andrew Carnegie was one of the interesting robber barons and I’ve enjoyed reading about his life。 This biography does a good job of illuminating his life and puncturing the myths surrounding him and his self-serving soft soap of an autobiography。 However， this book is extreme in detail。 It would have been more enjoyable at half the length。 It was repetitive to the extreme even using the same language to describe things just a few paragrap Not very good and very disappointing。 I’ve always thought Andrew Carnegie was one of the interesting robber barons and I’ve enjoyed reading about his life。 This biography does a good job of illuminating his life and puncturing the myths surrounding him and his self-serving soft soap of an autobiography。 However， this book is extreme in detail。 It would have been more enjoyable at half the length。 It was repetitive to the extreme even using the same language to describe things just a few paragraphs apart。 It constantly used long quotes from material when a sentence would have gotten the point across and above all， it repeated points over and over。 In short， this biography felt like the proverbial kitchen sink。 So， much as I find Carnegie’s life fascinating， I can’t recommend this biography。 。。。more
Christian
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Not a bad introduction to Carneige， but left a little to be desired when it comes to three major aspects。 1。 Labor relations generally。 2。 Homestead explicitly。 3。 Legacy。
Oskar
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Interesting man， but the book contains too much details for me。Philantropy， self-education， unions， libraries， etc。
Luis Menezes
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Nasaw is a great writer and researcher。 The book shows the man， the entrepreneur and the philanthropist。 3 personas very different in the way they saw the world。 The book would win a little more talking more about Carnegie the entrepreneur and less about his initial phase in life。 A very good book to understand the age of the big capitalists of the 19th century
Alexandru
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Very interesting figure。 Too long book。 Some chapters will be boring。
Lynn
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David Nasaw's book provides an in-depth portrait of Andrew Carnegie。 He fully covers the paradoxical nature of the man - from his huge ego to his incredible and unprecedented philanthropy to his ruthlessness as a businessman， fierce loyalties to friends， and， in many cases， his surprising inability to see reality。 He was dedicated to making money strictly for the purpose of giving it all away to causes which would increase quality of life。 His intention was to have no money left upon his death。 David Nasaw's book provides an in-depth portrait of Andrew Carnegie。 He fully covers the paradoxical nature of the man - from his huge ego to his incredible and unprecedented philanthropy to his ruthlessness as a businessman， fierce loyalties to friends， and， in many cases， his surprising inability to see reality。 He was dedicated to making money strictly for the purpose of giving it all away to causes which would increase quality of life。 His intention was to have no money left upon his death。 Nasaw details the disconnect between his passionate philanthropy and his total lack of understanding of the needs of his workers。It's a fascinating 800-page book with a great deal of detail - in some cases some of the brief anecdotes did not seem to advance the story but were interesting nonetheless。 。。。more
Vincent
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This is a very detailed biography/history of Andrew Carnegie - I learned a lot about him that I might have known but didn't fully integrate into my thinking about him。 I originally thought of him as a steel entrepreneur with a railroad beginning。 I learned that he really had much of his financial success based upon selling bonds， including heavily in Europe， supporting railroads and other American industries。 And he ran his empire， when he established it， in greater Pittsburg from New York and S This is a very detailed biography/history of Andrew Carnegie - I learned a lot about him that I might have known but didn't fully integrate into my thinking about him。 I originally thought of him as a steel entrepreneur with a railroad beginning。 I learned that he really had much of his financial success based upon selling bonds， including heavily in Europe， supporting railroads and other American industries。 And he ran his empire， when he established it， in greater Pittsburg from New York and Scotland or elsewhere in his travels。 He didn't like being a direct manager of people and delegated to his staff - folks we all eventually know - Frick， Schwab - the nitty gritty although he would set the goals and expectations。He favored protective steel tariffs while he was in the industry and when he sold out to JP Morgan he totally divested himself from the steel business - taking all bonds backed by gold - and only then did he become more open about freer trade。But iike John Rockefeller he retired young， Rockefeller kept a lot of equity in his oil businesses， and began to be a philanthogist quite aggressively managing to dispose of most of his forture before his death。 Nasaw says that Carnegie had more money than any one percenter today - （written before Bezon got so prosperous？） adjusted for inflation。 So we can look at the ways he built his businesses - because they were truly using the latest technologies and sophisticated management methods。 His aversion to real and strong unions was distasteful but the way of capitalists of the time - and he let his lieutenants handle the really dirty work - i。e。 Frick at the Homestead works。He also was a bit of a racist - in that he believed the "English speaking race"- the British/Scottish & Americans were the leaders of the world with more inherent attributes than others - he never broke his ties to his Scottish homeland， hometown and was active there throughout his prosperous life （not before he could afford it）。 - But he was a fan of and supporter of Booker T。 Washington， the African American educator - but Carnegie believed that the societal role that Washington saw， negros as tradesmen， was the correct was for the Blacks in America - at least at that time。He of course established so many libraries but did it insect a way that the municipalities that got them had to plan for and establish means to participate in the funding and establish adequate funding for them into the future。I think that his gifts of organs to churches however was fully funded by him。His charitable trusts and institutions are still with us today - He founded universities and supported a wide range of institutions。He was politically active as a Republican - supporting presidents and other politicians - and trying to use his connections to accomplish other goals - for example he helped finance Teddy Roosevelt's post presidential hunting safari to Africa and got a deal in which TR was supposed to try to promote the League fo Peace and to prevent the war。He also was a strong strong peace advocate - before WW I tried toe stable a League of Peace - maybe the inspired or encouraged the League of Nations - the failure to present WW I， which he tried very hard to do， seems to have been a final for me to read the book - it could be overwhelming for me and was not exciting reading for me。 but certainly informational and mind opening。 I have not mentioned his wife and family - nor his writing accomplishments - nor his participation in political affairs。I may modify this review but the book was a good read - but， for me， slow work。 。。。more
Jeff Ohl
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Great in-depth look at his business career and his work for world peace。
Spencer
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I fricken loved this book。 It took some time getting into it but by the 100th page I was enthralled。 I loved the way Andrew's story was told。 All the anecdotes made him really come alive， and that's not typical in biographies I think。 I saw others review the book before I finished it and one person said that they admired， hated and pitied the man over the course of the story。 That is the best way to think of this story。 I fricken loved this book。 It took some time getting into it but by the 100th page I was enthralled。 I loved the way Andrew's story was told。 All the anecdotes made him really come alive， and that's not typical in biographies I think。 I saw others review the book before I finished it and one person said that they admired， hated and pitied the man over the course of the story。 That is the best way to think of this story。 。。。more
Changez Jan
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A fantastic rags to riches story。 But honest enough to show his flaws。 An inspirational man。
RayKrauze
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A very exhaustive and well-researched biography。 The last 100 pages or so that covers his life after he retired are at times a bit tedious in detail but overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable read。
L
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Very well-written biography of Andrew Carnegie， although toward the end the author really zeroed in on Carnegie’s obsession for establishing world peace to the point where I wondered what the heck his wife and daughter were up to during this time。 World War I did a number on his very ebullient spirit。 The Carnegie Corporation is still going strong today。 He definitely did some good in the world even though he “failed” to give his entire fortune away during his lifetime。 However， the Homestead st Very well-written biography of Andrew Carnegie， although toward the end the author really zeroed in on Carnegie’s obsession for establishing world peace to the point where I wondered what the heck his wife and daughter were up to during this time。 World War I did a number on his very ebullient spirit。 The Carnegie Corporation is still going strong today。 He definitely did some good in the world even though he “failed” to give his entire fortune away during his lifetime。 However， the Homestead strike and Carnegie’s prior “successes” at busting unions were damaging to his reputation （rightly so）。 He was curiously oblivious to his harsh requirement that his workers work 6-7 days a week， 12 hours a day with their pay lowered。 Paying them a more livable wage would lead his workers to buy fripperies - um， like food and clothing。 He could be a real jerk。 Charming but a jerk。 。。。more
Christiaan Quyn
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An exceptional biography of an exceptional individual。 The author takes you behind the scenes to understand the making of this remarkable American capitalist of the gilded age。 Born into poverty in Scotland， Andrew was smart， hardworking， and curious。 The eternal optimist and cheerful man who cherished any opportunity to read and improve his mind。 He escaped poverty， educated himself， built a remarkable business from the ground-up that made him the richest man in the world， constantly expanded h An exceptional biography of an exceptional individual。 The author takes you behind the scenes to understand the making of this remarkable American capitalist of the gilded age。 Born into poverty in Scotland， Andrew was smart， hardworking， and curious。 The eternal optimist and cheerful man who cherished any opportunity to read and improve his mind。 He escaped poverty， educated himself， built a remarkable business from the ground-up that made him the richest man in the world， constantly expanded his mind intellectually be-friending the most important figures in the world， traveled the world over to make more sense of it， became a leading advocate for peace in the world and then finally deployed his wealth back to society。 To the arts， libraries， universities， and more， saying "The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced"。His business acumen and allocation of capital skills were legendary， his ability to be witty and make friends is awe-inspiring but most of all his early understanding of wanting to deploy all of the wealth back into society in order to aid the evolution of humankind and progress in society by focusing on where he deployed this wealth is breathtaking。 He may have been small in stature but he was a giant amongst men intellectually。 。。。more
Jwt Jan50
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When I was in college， a friend gave me London's The Iron Heel。 Put it down maybe half way through because I thought it a diatribe and implausible。 50 years later reading bio's like this， Rockefeller， LBJ and Morgan - Pinkertons， 'weapons of mass financial destruction' - makes you wonder why everyone is not voting for Bernie。 You can understand why McClure's and Tarbell were so popular。 Charming， ruthless， self centered。 Destroy your job， destroy your neighborhood and then gracious enough to bui When I was in college， a friend gave me London's The Iron Heel。 Put it down maybe half way through because I thought it a diatribe and implausible。 50 years later reading bio's like this， Rockefeller， LBJ and Morgan - Pinkertons， 'weapons of mass financial destruction' - makes you wonder why everyone is not voting for Bernie。 You can understand why McClure's and Tarbell were so popular。 Charming， ruthless， self centered。 Destroy your job， destroy your neighborhood and then gracious enough to build a library。 。。。more
Thomas Lambe
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Well-done， deeply researched， excellent writing。。。 This was a unique biography and I've read many。 The author seemed to not like his subject and by the end of the book， I think the author was quite tired of his subject。 At times very judgmental。 Unnecessary so I think。 The end of the book came too abruptly with absolutely no summary。 I think the author was just done。 Carnegie deserved better I think。 I think the editor could have done better as well。 Glad I read this but felt like this could hav Well-done， deeply researched， excellent writing。。。 This was a unique biography and I've read many。 The author seemed to not like his subject and by the end of the book， I think the author was quite tired of his subject。 At times very judgmental。 Unnecessary so I think。 The end of the book came too abruptly with absolutely no summary。 I think the author was just done。 Carnegie deserved better I think。 I think the editor could have done better as well。 Glad I read this but felt like this could have done much better。 。。。more
Joseph Sciuto
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Back in the late 1970's while attending John Jay college of Criminal Justice I would have dinner every Friday night at this great little restaurant on 57th street and Park Ave。 I always ordered the London Broil， which was simply the best， a couple of beers （back in 1978 in was legal to drink at eighteen， not that it would have stopped me either way） and after leaving a great tip， 3 dollars on a 7 dollar bill， I would walk across the street and look at the coming events at "Carnegie Hall，" not th Back in the late 1970's while attending John Jay college of Criminal Justice I would have dinner every Friday night at this great little restaurant on 57th street and Park Ave。 I always ordered the London Broil， which was simply the best， a couple of beers （back in 1978 in was legal to drink at eighteen， not that it would have stopped me either way） and after leaving a great tip， 3 dollars on a 7 dollar bill， I would walk across the street and look at the coming events at "Carnegie Hall，" not that I could afford to go to any event but I did love looking and walking around this magnificant building。After moving to California in the early eighties， I always remembered fondly the little restaurant with the wonderful London Broil。。。 So much so that I brought my lovely wife there a few times while visiting New York， but never did I think of going across the street to "Carnegie Hall。" Strange， because by that time I could have afforded tickets。 In fact， I never even thought about "Carnegie Hall，" or the man responsible for building the music hall， Andrew Carnegie， until some forty years later when I read David McCullough's "The Johnstown Flood" and Mr。 Carnegie and his Steel company were mentioned in the book。It was after reading Mr。 McCullough's book that I decided to pick up the highly praised， extremely large biography named "Andrew Carnegie" by David Nasaw。 To say that Mr。 Carnegie was different， would be an understatement。 At one point in his life he was considered the "richest man" in the world。。。 The Steel business and a few shady deals paid really well。 To say that Mr。 Carnegie was generous would be a large exaggeration。 At the time of his death， he would have given away what would amount to the fortunes of Bill Gates and Jeff Bezo's combined。 And who are those that benefitted from his largess: Libraries， he built over two thousand across the United States and the world。。。 Museums， Schools， Music halls， Convention Centers， The Carnegie Foundation for World Peace， The Carnegie Foundation for Scientific Research， The Mount Wilson Observatory。。。 And the list just keeps going on and on。Mr。 Carnegie's goal in life， after accumulating a massive fortune， was to give it all away before he died， and for the most part he did。 He was far from a perfect man。 In fact， the men that worked in his Steel Mills might not be very kind in their appraisal of the man。Yet， his imprint on American and world cultures， his pursuit of world peace， and his relationships with Presidents of the United States makes him one of the most influential， if not controversial figures， of the last 150 years。Joseph Conrad wrote， "That we go through life with eyes half closed，" and in the case of Andrew Carnegie I passed through six decades with eyes fully closed because I have passed many of his cultural and scientific Institution that he had built and didn't take notice， which is amazing because they're everywhere。I STRONGLY RECOMMEND this book。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Andrew Carnegie
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Andrew Carnegie&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Andrew Carnegie&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0