307:. His fellow oil refiners waged vicious price wars and refused to taper production even when new oil discoveries glutted the market with product. Chernow writes, "At times, when he railed against cutthroat competition and the vagaries of the business cycle, Rockefeller sounded more like Karl Marx than our classical image of the capitalist." Chernow reveals that Rockefeller profited by buying out other refiners and thus curtailing competition, and by convincing the major
319:
417:, this time approaching the text with a critical eye towards Rockefeller's relationship with the press. He noted that Tarbell, whose father had been driven out of business by Standard Oil's tactics, was hardly a neutral party in her journalism, and that her hatred of Rockefeller both honed and skewed her reporting regarding the man and his company.
338:
about the oil trust's underhanded tactics. These pieces vilified
Rockefeller, who by that time had largely, though not publicly, retired from his company's operations. He opted not to respond to Tarbell's widely popular series, which ultimately harmed his reputation even further. Tarbell's series and
430:
of
Chernow's talent for providing "an immense, almost baroque detailing of a complex human life", but believed Chernow did not devote enough scrutiny to why Rockefeller was considered such a villain in his time, and that Chernow wrote "passingly" about the many corrupt and illegal acts practiced by
199:
suggested he pursue a biography of
Rockefeller. Chernow was initially resistant, saying that Rockefeller's notorious secrecy around his private life would make it difficult for a biographer to learn about the man's inner thoughts and feelings. Chernow said this inability to "hear the music of his
248:
comparing and contrasting the two business giants and their respective situations. He also stated in an interview that he wished for the book to result in a nationwide conversation about both the high rate of corporate consolidation in
America and the obligations of the wealthy to dispense their
215:
and the
Rockefeller family. He discovered a 1,700-page transcript of private interviews conducted over three years late in the tycoon's life. The interviews, which showed an articulate, funny, and analytic side of Rockefeller, had yet to be used in a biography of the man, and Chernow decided to
149:
that consumed much of his later life. At the time of its writing, the book was unique in its balanced view of
Rockefeller's career, bucking the trend of his biographers portraying him and his business practices as either good or evil. The book was well-received by critics, who praised Chernow's
358:
firm was hired; gifts were made primarily to uncontroversial recipients—the donations were still made with
Rockefeller's unwavering belief that he had received the money from God and God expected him to give it back. By the early 1920s, Rockefeller had donated $ 475 million (equivalent to $
29:
437:
called the book a "flawed gem", citing
Chernow's "unforgettable portraits" of various members of Rockefeller's family and inner circle, while conceding that the author occasionally "cannot refrain from telling readers what to think."
398:
was impressed with
Chernow's well-rounded approach to a complex figure, saying, "Rockefeller's career is a minefield of controversies and complexities through which Mr. Chernow makes his way with admirable balance and judgment."
450:
Kenneth Warren was impressed with the wealth of accompanying photographs and
Chernow's considerable amount of notes, but would have liked a map depicting the operations of Standard Oil's distribution. Writing for the
284:. He also moved a mistress into the Rockefeller household and bore children with both her and John's mother. Due to and in spite of his upbringing, Chernow traces John's longstanding Christian faith as well as his
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295:, and describes how a Cleveland merchant with no great education or contacts came to control nearly all of the nation's oil refining industry. Rockefeller, like
941:
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pursue the project. The book ultimately took five years to complete and according to Chernow took "the psychology and stamina of a marathon runner".
344:
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health cures. A neighbor remarked, "They had a big jug full of medicine, and they treated all diseases from the same jug." William practiced
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meticulous research and neutral approach to describing the life of a polarizing figure. It was called "a triumph of the art of biography" by
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978:
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Weinberg, Steve (May 24, 1998). "Mr. Magnate: Ron Chernow's sprawling, enthralling biography of John D. Rockefeller Sr".
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begins during Rockefeller's childhood and describes his formative years living with two very different parents: a devout
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as well. He abandoned the family for long stretches of time, much of it spent with an entirely separate family in
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called it "unflaggingly interesting" and praised Chernow's depiction of Rockefeller's familial connections.
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Klein, Maury (May 8, 1998). "A ruthless robber baron, John D. Rockefeller was also a 'Titan' of charity".
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McEvoy, Dermot; Maryles, Daisy (April 10, 2000). "Bestsellers of 1999: The Usual Suspects Prevail".
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Blinkhorn, Lois (August 9, 1998). "A Biographer's Nightmare, Rockefeller Emerges From the Myths".
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457:, David Walton especially praised the title's abridged audiobook edition and called the use of
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mother and a traveling salesman father. William Avery Rockefeller was a grifter and peddler of
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said the book was "one of the great American biographies". He reviewed the book again for the
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raised public awareness of the oil trust; less than a decade later, it was broken up by the
28:
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published a two-volume study that was revised and published in 1953 as the single-volume
942:"1998 National Book Critics Circle Award - Biography/Autobiography Winner and Nominees"
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6.8 billion in 2023) to various causes, including towards the founding of the
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best seller in 1999 with over 75,000 copies sold. It was a finalist for the 1998
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Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher (July 20, 1998). "A man who saw around the corner".
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efforts. Chernow argues that while this charity was not entirely altruistic—a
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Nevins, who sought to burnish Rockefeller's reputation after its battering by
145:
and its massive success and eventual dissolution, and through the large-scale
839:
Warren, Kenneth (Spring 1999). "Titan: The life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr".
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Chernow continues tracking Rockefeller through the formation of what became
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232:
223:, a book largely about the creation of one of the largest and most powerful
138:
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Frumkes, Lewis Burke (January 1999). "A conversation with...Ron Chernow".
188:-era critics, painted the magnate's business ethics in a favorable light.
269:
224:
185:
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Smith, Dinitia (July 13, 1998). "From dimes to millions and mystery".
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Standard Oil while Rockefeller was at the helm. Steve Weinberg of the
178:
Study in Power: John D. Rockefeller, Industrialist and Philanthropist.
797:
Morrow, Lance (July 1, 1998). "The Wizard of Money Meets the Press".
277:
203:
On a suggestion by his editor at Random House, Chernow visited the
200:
mind" made the prospect of multiple years of research unpalatable.
350:
After he retired, Rockefeller devoted much of his time to massive
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and its competition-swallowing business practices. A month before
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Bannister, Robert C. (November 28, 1998). "Titan (book review)".
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These business practices incurred scrutiny, Chernow writes.
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As the 1990s began, no significant biography on the life of
133:. The book covers the life of the American business magnate
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Chernow, Ron (April 19, 1998). "How to stay a titan".
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In discussing the book's supplementary features, the
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Morrow, Lance (June 15, 1998). "Oil in the family".
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484:National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography
158:National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography
137:from his early days as the son of an itinerant
476:for 16 weeks, and its paperback version was a
129:is a 1998 non-fiction book by American author
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930:. Vol. 247, no. 15. p. 46-52.
22:Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
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816:Parker, Richard (May 31, 1998). "Mr. Big".
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211:, home of the papers and records of
16:1998 non-fiction book by Ron Chernow
242:release, Chernow wrote a column in
461:as narrator "an inspired choice".
14:
870:a Saga Rich in Contradictions".
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315:on the shipment of his product.
866:Walton, David (May 31, 1998). "
219:The writing and publication of
526:The New York Times Book Review
311:railroads to give his company
172:had appeared since 1940, when
156:and became a finalist for the
153:The New York Times Book Review
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786:. Vol. 179, no. 17.
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520:Beatty, Jack (May 17, 1998).
363:and the establishment of the
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299:before him, recognized the "
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872:Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
799:Columbia Journalism Review
603:Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
454:Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
414:Columbia Journalism Review
303:" that plagued unfettered
261:Rockfeller at 22 years old
205:Rockefeller Archive Center
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555:Magill's Literary Annual
98:Print, audiobook, e-book
841:Business History Review
660:The Wall Street Journal
444:Business History Review
395:The Wall Street Journal
141:, into his founding of
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365:Rockefeller Foundation
330:in the press—notably,
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301:anarchy of production
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249:fortunes charitably.
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907:. Hawes Publications
231:'s investigation of
170:John D. Rockefeller
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805:(2): 63–66.
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380:Jack Beatty
332:Ida Tarbell
322:Ida Tarbell
182:Progressive
131:Ron Chernow
43:Ron Chernow
33:Front cover
984:Gilded Age
968:Categories
581:The Writer
490:References
328:Muckrakers
309:East Coast
305:capitalism
225:monopolies
164:Background
117:0679438084
952:March 20,
905:hawes.com
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853:274404820
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634:430961222
611:260822614
371:Reception
297:Karl Marx
274:snake oil
233:Microsoft
106:774 pages
67:Publisher
876:ProQuest
849:ProQuest
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630:ProQuest
607:ProQuest
587:(1): 16.
253:Synopsis
209:New York
186:New Deal
49:Language
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336:exposés
270:Baptist
57:Subject
52:English
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103:Pages
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