Tycoons: Real and Imagined

Whether you're a penny pincher or a big spender, tycoons offer a wealth of fascinating stories. These books, both fiction and nonfiction, dramatize big business. From captains of industry to investment bankers, these money bags characters have stories worth their weight in gold.Morgan: American Financier by Jean StrouseMorgan, a.k.a. the "Napoleon of Wall Street," reorganized the nation's railroads and created some of its greatest industrial trusts, including General Electric and U.S. Steel. At a time when the United States had no Federal Reserve System, he appointed himself a one-man central bank.American Pastoralby Philip Roth
Swede Levov, a star athlete in the booming postwar period marries Miss New Jersey and inherits his father’s successful glove business, but his American dream life disappears in 1968 at the hands of his teenage daughter and the “American berserk.”Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Set in Italy during World War II, Yossarian army keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. If Yossarian tries to excuse himself from a mission he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a sinister bureaucratic rule.Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Set in a dystopian future, Atlas Shrugged tells the story of collapsed American economy following the mysterious disappearance of all the leading innovators and industrialists.The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. StilesAn epic account from Vanderbilt’s humble birth to his death as one of the richest men in American history. Along the way he helps launch the transportation revolution, propels the Gold Rush, reshapes Manhattan, and invents the modern corporation.The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro
The Pulitzer Prize-winning 1974 biography of Robert Moses, "New York City's Master Builder," has been central to discussion of Moses and the history of 20th-century New York.The Last Tycoon: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co by William D. CohanEven among the most powerful investment firms, Lazard Frères & Co. stood apart.The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefellar, Jay Gould and J.P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy by Charles R. MorrisThe modern American economy was the creation of these four men: Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan.Andrew Carnegie by David NasawA rags-to-riches story about one of our most iconic business legends: Andrew Carnegie.