Morgan: American Financier by Jean StrouseMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I see some complaints that this book doesn't concentrate enough on finance and discusses Morgan the person too much. I wonder what a biography is supposed to do, if not discuss the person. My background is in finance and economics, but learning about the person shows me the why behind many of his decisions and statements.
Having said that, the economics and finance of the time were super interesting, and the financial world was obviously very different back then.
This book is a massive endeavor, and I found some parts more interesting than others (I confess the list of artworks, and how and why he bought them, didn't interest me as much). But overall it was an extremely informative look into the life of a man who, beyond being rich, was extremely influential during his time. Pretty much single-handedly reversing the financial panic of 1907 (we probably could've used someone like him in 1929, or 2008 for that matter).
Incredible to think it took 15 years to research/write this book. Although I can't help wondering how much the "House of Morgan" coming out in 1999 had to do with that.
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