In 1919, the doors of Youngstown's Butler Institute of American Art were opened for the first time. Dubbed "the lighthouse of culture," both the beautiful marble museum and the artwork inside were the gift of 19th-century industrialist Joseph G. Butler, Jr., in what was the crowning achievement of a long life. Butler earned his successes with hard work, a competitive spirit and business savvy. He earned a fortune in the iron and steel industry crowded by such figures as Andrew Carnegie, He...

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A gripping, groundbreaking biography of the combative man whose genius and force of will created modern capitalism.In this groundbreaking biography, T.J. Stiles tells the dramatic story of Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, the combative man and American icon who, through his genius and force of will, did more than perhaps any other in...

Two founding fathers of American industry. One desire to dominate business at any price.“Masterful . . . Standiford has a way of making the 1890s resonate with a twenty-first-century audience.”—USA Today“The narrative is as absorbing as that of any good novel—and as difficult to put down.”—Miami HeraldThe author of Last Train to Paradise tells the riveting story of Andrew Carnegie, Henry C...

**A New York Times bestseller!“Beautifully crafted and fun to read.” —Louis Galambos, The Wall Street Journal“Nasaw’s research is extraordinary.” —San Francisco Chronicle“Make no mistake: David Nasaw has produced the most thorough, accurate and authoritative biography of Carnegie to date.” —Salon.comThe definitive account of the life of Andrew Carnegie**Celebrated historian David Nasaw, whom The New York Times ...

New York Times Bestseller“Amity Shlaes’s new biography carries a different and highly relevant message. . . . Read Coolidge, and better understand the forces bearing on the President and Congress almost a century later.” — Paul Volcker“America’s 30th president has been much misunderstood. . . . Shlaes’s biography provides a window onto an unfairly tarnished period. It deserves to be widely read.”—The Economist

Here, for the first time is a brief, balanced, and up-to-date history of Georgia from the early Native Americans to the twenty-first century. Based on the most recent research, GEORGIA: A BRIEF HISTORY surveys the people and events that shaped our state's history in a style that reads easily and flows effortlessly.

A look at how some of America's founding fathers—who fought for liberty and justice for all—were slave owners."[A] powerful examination of five enslaved individuals and their presidential owners. . . . In a thoroughly researched and reasoned account, Davis exposes the intricacies of this impossibly tangled web." — Publishers Weekly, starred reviewThrough the powerful stories of five enslaved people who were "owned" by four of our gre...

This in-depth look at the civil rights movement goes to the places where pioneers of the movement marched, sat-in at lunch counters, gathered in churches; where they spoke, taught, and organized; where they were arrested, where they lost their lives, and where they triumphed.Award-winning journalist Charles E. Cobb Jr., a former organizer and field secretary for SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), knows the journey intimately. He guides us through Washington, D.C., Mar...

One of the major figures in American history, Andrew Carnegie was a ruthless businessman who made his fortune in the steel industry and ultimately gave most of it away. He used his wealth to ascend the world's political stage, influencing the presidencies of Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt. In retirement, Carnegie became an avid promoter of world peace, only to be crushed emotionally by World War I.In this compelling biography, Peter Krass reconstructs th...

The vision, controversy and political rivalries that shaped America's capital are examined in this fascinating history of Washington, D.C.When America's first congress declared that a national capital was to be built along the Potomac, President Washington was given complete control over its design and construction. Eager to establish a federal city worthy of a powerful and rapidly expanding empire, Washington recruited commissioners, surveyors, architects, and cra...

The story of Memphis, Tennessee—from raucous river town to major Southern metropolis—with photos included.No other southern city has a history quite like Memphis. First purchased in the early 1800s from natives to serve as a vital port for the emerging American river trade, the city flourished until the tumultuous years of the Civil War brought chaos and uncertainty.Yet the city survived. Through the triumphs and tragedies of the civil rights movement and b...

An intimate look at centuries of black history in America with exclusive accounts, photographs, newspaper reproductions, and other documents.One of The Root 's Favorite Reads of 2019Presented in three parts— Lest We Forget, Freedom's Children, and We Shall Not Be Moved—this volume brings African American history to vivid and illustrated life. It includes:Lest We Forget: Based on mat...