Dark Genius of Wall Street: The Misunderstood Life of Jay Gould, King of the Robber Barons

by Edward J. Renehan Jr. and Edward Renehan

Book Overview

Acclaimed biographer Edward J. Renehan, Jr., combines lively anecdotes with the rich social tapestry of the Gilded Age to paint the portrait of the most talented financial buccaneer of his generation. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465068855
• ISBN13: 9780465068852
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

a long overdue balanced biography

The author has done excellent work in condensing Jay Gould's colossal business career into this enjoyable biography. Since Jay Gould was involved in thousands of enterprises, no book can ever cover his dealings and career and personal life without coming short on one end or another. But for anyone wanting to get a balanced view of all aspects of this correctly titled genius, there is no better than this book. No other biography of Gould -- Klein is less objective and too sympatetic, or Warshaw, or O'Connor which are mean-spirited if not sensational, or Grodinski, which disregarded Gould's personality completely -- does such a good job in bringing it all together. I doubt there will be other Gould biogrpahipes since this one is a conclusion to all others. A must read. Nitsan Ben-Horin, New York.

Insightful biography treats robber baron evenly

This biography of Wall Street baron Jay Gould is in some ways a primer on how American media and public opinion seem to demonize capitalists who succeed at doing what capitalists are wont to do, namely, making money. Of course, Gould was no ordinary capitalist. His ruthless tactics gave his enemies a big target to dislike. After all, when you single-handedly create an investment bubble that leads to a crash in the price of gold, resulting in congressional hearings aimed at placing blame, you expect to make a few enemies. Veteran biographer Edward J. Renehan paints a fair, nuanced and colorful portrait of Gould, whose manic focus on business success probably was driven by his tragic childhood. We strongly recommend this book, especially to students of business history, in the belief that it offers a more in-depth record about an extraordinary and extraordinarily flawed man who was vilified in his time.

Interesting biography about a controversial american

There are a growing number of books on the gilded age in America and many paint the rising industrialists as crooks. In this case they got the image just right. Jay Gould used illegal tactics to build his empire and went as far as to corner the gold market using inside information. It is tactics like his that have inspired laws on wall street today. This is an excellent and well written biography about an interesting figure in our society. It does not lump in other industrialists with Gould and paints Gould in as fair a light as possible. It does extol some of his better virtues including a good business sense and a passion for the railroads. Gould was among the first robber barrons to rise to power and although later eclipsed by others he remains an important figure to read about today. This is essential for any Gilded Age library.

Financial Titan & Business Genius

Edward J Renehan, has produced a marvellously written book about the ruthlessly honest, financial genius & business titan Jay Gould. A resounding five star effort, deeply researched, well thought out and arranged. For those who understand financial history & business responsibility, this book highlights the authors passion and honest accountability of a great man highly misunderstood with an undeserved muckraking appeal. Although independently written, Mr Renehan corroborates the articulate, Maury Klein's account of Mr Gould in his book 'The Life & Times of Jay Gould'. Both these books disintegrate the muckraking flack that appeals more to the public sense for 'feeling' historically trapped, by deceptive and dishonest accounts from low effort lazy and envious perceptions of Mr Gould from such works as Mathew Josephson's 'Robber Barons'. Muckrakers peddle the usual prejudices and dishonest fabrications about Gould because it reinforces the publics' feeling toward 'big' business as evil. Unfortunately, the scam is an easy money earner for a muckraking fabricator. The scam works and the muckraker knows it while deliberately duping the public for a buck. So, the public at large is aloof and in the dark for decades and in this case for generations. But without distorting the facts, Edward Renehan does not reinforce the usual psychological preferences the public wants to hear to earn easy royalties. Great credit has got to go to this author for shining a bright light on muckraking dishonesties and fake truths about Mr Gould. The thread moves beautifully and so it does, revealing Gould's honesty, integrity and deeds as ruthlessly supreme. This compares to the usual trivial accounts against the great man as dishonest, evil and unscrupulous. In fact Mr Gould's behaviours are consistent through out his short life, burdened with hard work and deeply powerful thinking mastered at an early age in combat with his ailing body. I list just a few - Muckraker's View #1: Mr Gould is unscrupulous and dishonest in his dealings. Honest Fact #1: Gould despised dishonesty, watch out for the unbelievable machinations of Daniel Drew in this book & how Gould dealt with him through sheer competitive thought. Gould dealt with the brilliant but consistently whining Cornelius Vanderbilt the same way as he did many of his peers with brutal honesty. Muckraker's View #2: Mr Gould is a plunderer of railroad properties, a looter of assets and a criminal. Honest Fact #2: The amazing fact is that Gould rarely depended on a banker's capital to fund his financial operations through borrowings. And neither did he bilk the government on subsidy handouts for railroad financing like most others. For some one accused of plundering railroads, Gould built up and harnessed the most integrated railroad system in the United States during his time that became known as the 'Gould System'. Like Drew, Vanderbilt and E.H. Harriman [who arrived to control railroads after his de

A Splendid Look at the Master of the Game

Any history of finance and entrepreneurs is incomplete without noting the paramount character of Jay Gould. However, few unbiased writings exist on the life of the so-called "Dark Genius". Gould was painted as the Ty Cobb of business - a talented master of the game, but also a vilified character held in contempt by his contemporaries. Renehan strips away the years of misinterpretation and provides his readers with an honest look at a man who deserves our attention. Business is not a place for the timid. If it were then we would live in a drastically different and in my view a deplorable state of affairs. Gould took an ambitious and aggressive posture in his dealings, and by so doing helped build the industrial might of early 20th century America. Furthermore, much of the financial wizardry that we take for granted today originated in the creative thought of Gould. This book is an absolute must for anyone seeking to understanding business.