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  • Titan

  • The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
  • Written by: Ron Chernow
  • Narrated by: Grover Gardner
  • Length: 35 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (208 ratings)

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Titan

Written by: Ron Chernow
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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Publisher's Summary

John D. Rockefeller, Sr., history’s first billionaire and the patriarch of America’s most famous dynasty, is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians. Now Ron Chernow, a National Book Award-winning biographer, gives us a detailed and insightful history of the mogul. Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller’s exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book indelibly alters our image of this most enigmatic capitalist.

Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world’s richest man by creating America’s most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America.

Rockefeller was likely the most controversial businessman in our nation’s history. Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grand-scale collusion with the railroads, predatory pricing, industrial espionage, and wholesale bribery of political officials. The titan spent more than 30 years dodging investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay.

While providing abundant evidence of Rockefeller’s misdeeds, Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch an unforgettably human portrait of a quirky, eccentric original. A devout Baptist and temperance advocate, Rockefeller gave money more generously than anyone before him - his chosen philanthropies included the Rockefeller Foundation, the University of Chicago, and what is today Rockefeller University. Titan presents a finely nuanced portrait of a fascinating, complex man, synthesizing his public and private lives and disclosing numerous family scandals, tragedies, and misfortunes that have never before come to light.

John D. Rockefeller’s story captures a pivotal moment in American history, documenting the dramatic post–Civil War shift from small business to the rise of giant corporations that irrevocably transformed the nation. With cameos by Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Jay Gould, William Vanderbilt, Ida Tarbell, Andrew Carnegie, Carl Jung, J. P. Morgan, William James, Henry Clay Frick, Mark Twain, and Will Rogers, Titan turns Rockefeller’s life into a vivid tapestry of American society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is Ron Chernow’s signal triumph that he writes this monumental saga with all the sweep, drama, and insight that this giant subject deserves.

©2004 Ron Chernow (P)2013 Blackstone Audio

What listeners say about Titan

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    5 out of 5 stars

Thouroughly enjoyed every minute!!

Absolutely fascinating story through and through, the duality of his morality, business vs faith and at times their total contradictions. I found it extremely interesting how he came from nothing and when applying for his first job as a book keeper he was constantly rejected and kept focused and when he had applied to all businesses in town, simply started at the beginning of the list and re-applied until he got his foot in the door then walked through it and into history.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Great book on a great man.

The only complaint I have is that it does not include much about the inner workings of Standard Oil and details of the thought processes behind some decisions made. It looks at it from a 20000ft distance angle.
Otherwise the book is great. Very informative on the man and the family too.

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A long life well chronicled

Did not expect to be.so engaged by the life of the premier robber baron, and was surprised by the contrasts of his life, particularly his strange grifting father and his own stern Baptist beliefs. Monopolist, robber baron, father of the integrated corporation, it did make.me.wonder about our own gilded age, and the tech monopolistic of our own time.

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1 person found this helpful

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A very interesting read

On times and men who have gone before us. Their struggles and the evil some men might do. Its just eye opening,,,,

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Excellent Story

A must read! The life of John D Rockefeller is extraordinary and the book was written so well it was hard to stop listening.

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Incredible and inspirational

An incredible listen that will inspire anyone with a modicum of ambition. Rockefeller's life, as presented by Chernow, is a master class in how to get things done and is surprisingly full of adventure.

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Easy to follow

This author is great. Clear and easy to follow. Narration is old school but also great as it fits the context on the book.

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  • Tom
  • 2023-04-10

excellent

I listened to it immediately again after I finished it...it was so good. a must listen

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Amazing story

I love this book and learned so much about history and about John Rockefeller highly recommend it

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Great narration of a very long book

Excellent narrator, kept me interested for the majority of the book with obvious exception when the book is giving to much data, numbers, etc.
The story keeps you entertained, overall a great biography that tries to be impartial and just tell the story.

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