Published to critical acclaim twenty years ago; and now considered a classic; The House of Morgan is the most ambitious history ever written about American finance. It is a rich; panoramic story of four generations of Morgans and the powerful; secretive firms they spawned; ones that would transform the modern financial world. Tracing the trajectory of J. P. Morgan’s empire from its obscure beginnings in Victorian London to the financial crisis of 1987; acclaimed author Ron Chernow paints a fascinating portrait of the family’s private saga and the rarefied world of the American and British elite in which they moved—a world that included Charles Lindbergh; Henry Ford; Franklin Roosevelt; Nancy Astor; and Winston Churchill. A masterpiece of financial history—it was awarded the 1990 National Book Award for Nonfiction and selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century—The House of Morgan is a compelling account of a remarkable institution and the men who ran it; and an essential book for understanding the money and power behind the major historical events of the last 150 years.
#672649 in Books University of Toronto Press; Scholarly Publishing Division 1993-11-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.87 x .40 x 8.66l; 1.18 #File Name: 0802072062138 pages
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Paleographer's Best FriendBy tadMichelle Brown has gathered examples from just about all of the Classical; Late Antique; and medieval Latin book-hands; from the extremely difficult-to-decipher Roman cursive to the all-too-clear Caroline Minuscule. Good introductions are offered for each script as well as copious notes on scribal errors/alterations; distinctive traits; and decorative elements. Each example displays a plate of a particular script on the right-hand page and a description/identification on the left. Also; there is a brief transcription (about 15-20 lines) on the left with all the words separated and the abbreviations expanded. Subject matter ranges from Virgil to biblical passages; with many things in-between. This is a must have for the student taking a paleography course or just interested in medieval book culture. Also recommended: Barbara Shailor; the Medieval Book.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Intro to Latin (and other western) scriptsBy A Latinist; Ciceronian; and studentThis book provides essential background of the various Latin scripts (as well as others); and excellent examples. The transcriptions of portions of the samples enables readers to practice reading the scripts while having the proper transcription acailable for consultation.15 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Good reference toolBy Dame DroitureMichelle Brown's book is a must-have for the beginning student of paleography or codicology. It includes full-page (generally readable) photos of manuscripts which demonstrate characteristics of certain medieval scripts by country; region; and date - with facing page transcriptions and explanations. There are a few minor mistakes and questionable areas; such as her p. 26 transcription of the half-uncial (probably a typo); and p. 130 transcription of the humanistic book script (also probably a typo). The book is best utilized in conjunction with a course in either paleography; codicology; or both; and then mainly as a preliminary reference tool for rough-dating or localization. Pay attention to the details; for similar scripts (like the various gothics) can get tricky.
