| ||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.60
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (Vintage) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.60, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
New York Times Book Review
* "The book has the movement and tension of an epic novel. It is, quite simply, a tour de force"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
WALL STREET JOURNAL
"Brilliantly researched and written"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm currently working my way through the list of twenty books Charlie Munger (Warren Buffett's partner) recommends in the second edition of Poor Charlie's Almanack (very highly recommended). Thus, I am reading books I frankly wouldn't otherwise be (which I'm feeling increasingly sure reflected poorly on me) and I therefore feel somewhat less certain about my opinions. For example, I've read very few biographies and so it's harder for me to compare it to others.
With that caveat, I do read a lot, and I know an excellent book when I come across one - and Titan (2nd edition, 2004, 679 pages) is first rate. The author has clearly done a staggering amount of research, writes well and clearly and is admirably even-handed in his approach (so much as one can tell without reading the background material oneself). I think these are probably the three key factors in producing a biography and it is difficult to find fault in his approach to any of them.
Rockefeller comes across as a fascinatingly strange mixture of cold hearted and genial, a hyper-religious bandit who was convinced that his was God's work even when it involved political bribery and industrial espionage on a grand scale. I found it particularly interesting that he was not considered in any way remarkable in his abilities whilst at school - it appears his success was mainly due to his utterly relentless approach and self-discipline. There are many other interesting subtexts that emerge through the book, such as the enormous difficulty in preventing great wealth from destroying family relations.
My approach to reading my way through Munger's list is to devote an hour to reading each day before I do anything else (I found that was the only way to ensure it got done). Towards the end of Titan I realised that I found it more interesting than the (good) thriller I was reading and I suspect that is the final accolade. The excerpt from the New York Times review quoted on the front of Titan describes it as `A biography that has many of the best attributes of a novel....". So this is a book where you really can have your cake and eat it: you get to learn without giving up any time from entertainment. Highly recommended.
With that caveat, I do read a lot, and I know an excellent book when I come across one - and Titan (2nd edition, 2004, 679 pages) is first rate. The author has clearly done a staggering amount of research, writes well and clearly and is admirably even-handed in his approach (so much as one can tell without reading the background material oneself). I think these are probably the three key factors in producing a biography and it is difficult to find fault in his approach to any of them.
Rockefeller comes across as a fascinatingly strange mixture of cold hearted and genial, a hyper-religious bandit who was convinced that his was God's work even when it involved political bribery and industrial espionage on a grand scale. I found it particularly interesting that he was not considered in any way remarkable in his abilities whilst at school - it appears his success was mainly due to his utterly relentless approach and self-discipline. There are many other interesting subtexts that emerge through the book, such as the enormous difficulty in preventing great wealth from destroying family relations.
My approach to reading my way through Munger's list is to devote an hour to reading each day before I do anything else (I found that was the only way to ensure it got done). Towards the end of Titan I realised that I found it more interesting than the (good) thriller I was reading and I suspect that is the final accolade. The excerpt from the New York Times review quoted on the front of Titan describes it as `A biography that has many of the best attributes of a novel....". So this is a book where you really can have your cake and eat it: you get to learn without giving up any time from entertainment. Highly recommended.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read quite a few biographies this is definitely one of the best I've read. first of all the story itself is blockbuster quality, how a small town shopkeeper became the wealthiest man in the world. Combined with this, the book is just very well written, I worried 700 pages would be a drag, but by the end I wished there was more!!
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is my first ever review on Amazon and I'm only one third of the way through this incredible book. I have studied a great many management books and believe me this one is for real - how Rockefeller brilliantly took control of the entire Oil industry is a fascinating read. The author has researched the family history and his insight into Rockefellers childhood and relationship with his father and how this shaped his later life is brilliantly portrayed.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
huge, full account of the richest man of all time...
don't be put off by the size of the book - it's huge. saying that it is thoroughly well researched and a great insight into the life story of the richest man the world has ever... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Gcrikey
Titan
I'm only about half way through, so it's only a partial review. I bought this book on recommendation from a friend and I don't regret it at all. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. C. Iheagwam
Excellent - a masterful piece of work
J D Rockefeller was a man a lot of people thought they knew about but very few actually knew the true. This book sheds a new and laser sharp view on the man and the myth. Read more
Published 20 months ago by EddieO
Superb, unsurpassable biography
"Titan" is a huge read, and heavy going at times, however this is due to the staggering detail into which the author goes rather than any fault on the part of the material. Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2009 by Steven Griffin
Great read, excellent biography
Much in made, both in this book and in the reviews, about the apparent contradiction between Rockefeller's early career, building Standard Oil, and his later philanthropy. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2008 by MarkE
The richest man who provided for the world!
I only bought this book because Amazon recommended it to me. I didn't really think it would be all that interesting and the massive number of pages meant it would be a daunting... Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2006 by www.badgerland.co.uk
titan
A great book for anyone who wants to learn just exactly how the oil industry started up and how Standard Oil's influence is still with us today in the shape of BP/Shell/Conoco... Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2005 by R. C. Morris
A fascinating insight into the first of America's dynasties
Just as Giant summed up "Oil as a film" So Titan powerfully evokes the power and dominance which JD Rockefeller brought to America's first major industry and still,... Read more
Published on 1 Jun 1999
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
