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Why it matters
It uses one life to explain the emergence of modern corporate power.
A celebrated work
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt
T. J. Stiles2009 selection · Nonfiction
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt
A biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt's rise through shipping and railroads during America's industrial transformation.
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Read this if…
You enjoy expansive business and political biography.
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Ideas inside
capitalismrailroadsbusinessGilded Age
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