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Engineers of Dreams
by Henry Petroski • 1995
America's bridges were built by dreamers, rivals, and the hard lessons of catastrophic failure.
3.78
166
Engineers of Dreams Summary
Engineers of Dreams 94%
America's bridges were built by dreamers, rivals, and the hard lessons of catastrophic failure.
by Henry Petroski 1995
3.78
166 ratings
On Power
by Robert A. Caro • 2017
How one man built a financial empire inside the government and became untouchable.
3.95
1k+
On Power Summary
On Power 93%
How one man built a financial empire inside the government and became untouchable.
by Robert A. Caro 2017
3.95
1k+ ratings
An Empire of Wealth
by John Steele Gordon • 2004
6% of the people, 30% of GDP: the institutional inheritance behind American wealth.
4.10
1k+
An Empire of Wealth Summary
An Empire of Wealth 93%
6% of the people, 30% of GDP: the institutional inheritance behind American wealth.
by John Steele Gordon 2004
4.10
1k+ ratings
J.P. Morgan - The Life and Deals of America’s Banker
by J.R. MacGregor • 2019
He rescued American capitalism twice, so the government built the Federal Reserve to replace him.
3.87
143
J.P. Morgan - The Life and Deals of America’s Banker Summary
J.P. Morgan - The Life and Deals of America’s Banker 93%
He rescued American capitalism twice, so the government built the Federal Reserve to replace him.
by J.R. MacGregor 2019
3.87
143 ratings
The Republic for Which It Stands
by Richard White • 2017
America rebuilt itself after 1865 into something no one voted for. A history of broken promises.
4.16
2k+
The Republic for Which It Stands Summary
The Republic for Which It Stands 93%
America rebuilt itself after 1865 into something no one voted for. A history of broken promises.
by Richard White 2017
4.16
2k+ ratings
Wizard
by Marc J. Seifer • 1996
Electrified the world, outsmarted by rivals, bankrupted by a giant tower: the Nikola Tesla story.
3.73
7k+
Wizard Summary
Wizard 92%
Electrified the world, outsmarted by rivals, bankrupted by a giant tower: the Nikola Tesla story.
by Marc J. Seifer 1996
3.73
7k+ ratings
The Truth About Trump
by Michael D'Antonio • 2015
A Queens developer's decades-long project of self-invention, and how it conquered America.
3.54
795
The Truth About Trump Summary
The Truth About Trump 92%
A Queens developer's decades-long project of self-invention, and how it conquered America.
by Michael D'Antonio 2015
3.54
795 ratings
The Devil in the White City
by Erik Larson • 2003
An architect builds a wonder. A doctor builds a hotel next door for murder. Chicago, 1893.
4.00
766k+
The Devil in the White City Summary
The Devil in the White City 92%
An architect builds a wonder. A doctor builds a hotel next door for murder. Chicago, 1893.
by Erik Larson 2003
4.00
766k+ ratings
The Tycoons
by Charles R. Morris • 2005
Four rival industrialists, four methods, one generation: how America became the world's factory.
3.74
2k+
The Tycoons Summary
The Tycoons 92%
Four rival industrialists, four methods, one generation: how America became the world's factory.
by Charles R. Morris 2005
3.74
2k+ ratings
The Robber Barons
by Matthew Josephson • 1934
A handful of men seized America's railroads, oil, and steel; government helped them do it.
3.73
429
The Robber Barons Summary
The Robber Barons 92%
A handful of men seized America's railroads, oil, and steel; government helped them do it.
by Matthew Josephson 1934
3.73
429 ratings
The Road Taken
by Henry Petroski • 2016
The $121 billion congestion tax: what the history of pavement says about fixing America's roads.
3.44
529
The Road Taken Summary
The Road Taken 92%
The $121 billion congestion tax: what the history of pavement says about fixing America's roads.
by Henry Petroski 2016
3.44
529 ratings
John D. Rockefeller - The Original Titan
by J.R. MacGregor • 2019
From bookkeeper to America's most ruthless monopolist, then to its most strategic philanthropist.
3.80
161
John D. Rockefeller - The Original Titan Summary
John D. Rockefeller - The Original Titan 92%
From bookkeeper to America's most ruthless monopolist, then to its most strategic philanthropist.
by J.R. MacGregor 2019
3.80
161 ratings
The Idea Factory
by Jon Gertner • 2012
A phone monopoly's lab produced the transistor, the laser, and the digital age. How it worked.
4.21
9k+
The Idea Factory Summary
The Idea Factory 92%
A phone monopoly's lab produced the transistor, the laser, and the digital age. How it worked.
by Jon Gertner 2012
4.21
9k+ ratings
Tesla
by W. Bernard Carlson • 2013
The same mental discipline that electrified the world also led Nikola Tesla to ruin.
3.87
2k+
Tesla Summary
Tesla 92%
The same mental discipline that electrified the world also led Nikola Tesla to ruin.
by W. Bernard Carlson 2013
3.87
2k+ ratings
The House of Morgan
by Ron Chernow • 1990
Before the Federal Reserve, a single private bank rescued Wall Street and answered to no one.
3.96
13k+
The House of Morgan Summary
The House of Morgan 92%
Before the Federal Reserve, a single private bank rescued Wall Street and answered to no one.
by Ron Chernow 1990
3.96
13k+ ratings
Destiny of the Republic
by Candice Millard • 2011
Survivable gunshot, deadly cure: a madman, a president, and the medical failure that finished him.
4.24
86k+
Destiny of the Republic Summary
Destiny of the Republic 92%
Survivable gunshot, deadly cure: a madman, a president, and the medical failure that finished him.
by Candice Millard 2011
4.24
86k+ ratings
The Money Kings
by Daniel Schulman • 2023
From peddler carts to Wall Street: Jewish dynasties that bankrolled America's rise.
4.08
629
The Money Kings Summary
The Money Kings 92%
From peddler carts to Wall Street: Jewish dynasties that bankrolled America's rise.
by Daniel Schulman 2023
4.08
629 ratings
Brunelleschi's Dome
by Ross King • 1999
A goldsmith promised to build the world's largest dome without scaffolding. No one believed him.
3.91
28k+
Brunelleschi's Dome Summary
Brunelleschi's Dome 92%
A goldsmith promised to build the world's largest dome without scaffolding. No one believed him.
by Ross King 1999
3.91
28k+ ratings
Andrew Carnegie
by David Nasaw • 2006
How a penniless immigrant built the world's biggest steel empire, and then tried to die broke.
3.86
6k+
Andrew Carnegie Summary
Andrew Carnegie 92%
How a penniless immigrant built the world's biggest steel empire, and then tried to die broke.
by David Nasaw 2006
3.86
6k+ ratings
How Not to Get Rich
by Alan Pell Crawford • 2014
Before he was America's most beloved author, Mark Twain was its most disastrous investor.
3.63
123
How Not to Get Rich Summary
How Not to Get Rich 92%
Before he was America's most beloved author, Mark Twain was its most disastrous investor.
by Alan Pell Crawford 2014
3.63
123 ratings
The Book on the Bookshelf
by Henry Petroski • 1999
Why books once faced the wall and wore chains: the bookshelf as a history of engineering.
3.75
1k+
The Book on the Bookshelf Summary
The Book on the Bookshelf 92%
Why books once faced the wall and wore chains: the bookshelf as a history of engineering.
by Henry Petroski 1999
3.75
1k+ ratings
The Infernal Machine
by Steven Johnson • 2024
Dynamite was meant to destroy governments. It built the most powerful one: the surveillance state.
4.03
2k+
The Infernal Machine Summary
The Infernal Machine 92%
Dynamite was meant to destroy governments. It built the most powerful one: the surveillance state.
by Steven Johnson 2024
4.03
2k+ ratings
Giants of Enterprise
by Richard S. Tedlow • 2001
Seven titans built American business. The power they won then turned on them.
4.25
2k+
Giants of Enterprise Summary
Giants of Enterprise 92%
Seven titans built American business. The power they won then turned on them.
by Richard S. Tedlow 2001
4.25
2k+ ratings
Networks of New York
by Ingrid Burrington • 2016
Orange lines on the pavement mark fiber-optic cables: a field guide to the visible internet.
3.80
232
Networks of New York Summary
Networks of New York 92%
Orange lines on the pavement mark fiber-optic cables: a field guide to the visible internet.
by Ingrid Burrington 2016
3.80
232 ratings
The Big Change
by Frederick Lewis Allen • 1952
America went from farmers to superpower in fifty years: the metamorphosis that reshaped its soul.
3.95
243
The Big Change Summary
The Big Change 91%
America went from farmers to superpower in fifty years: the metamorphosis that reshaped its soul.
by Frederick Lewis Allen 1952
3.95
243 ratings
The Edifice Complex
by Deyan Sudjic • 2006
From Hitler's Reich Chancellery to the Bilbao Guggenheim, what monuments are really for.
3.8
380
The Edifice Complex Summary
The Edifice Complex 91%
From Hitler's Reich Chancellery to the Bilbao Guggenheim, what monuments are really for.
by Deyan Sudjic 2006
3.8
380 ratings
At Home
by Bill Bryson • 2010
Every room in your house conceals a history of bloodshed, invention, and empire.
3.99
99k+
At Home Summary
At Home 91%
Every room in your house conceals a history of bloodshed, invention, and empire.
by Bill Bryson 2010
3.99
99k+ ratings
Titan
by Ron Chernow • 1998
A pious Baptist created the Standard Oil octopus, gave away millions to be remembered as a saint.
4.15
38k+
Titan Summary
Titan 91%
A pious Baptist created the Standard Oil octopus, gave away millions to be remembered as a saint.
by Ron Chernow 1998
4.15
38k+ ratings
The Crisis of the Old Order 1919-33
by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. • 1957
An aristocrat's reluctant turn toward populism, set against the crash of an economic order.
4.19
455
The Crisis of the Old Order 1919-33 Summary
The Crisis of the Old Order 1919-33 91%
An aristocrat's reluctant turn toward populism, set against the crash of an economic order.
by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. 1957
4.19
455 ratings
Confidence Man
by Maggie Haberman • 2022
Roy Cohn's code: attack, deny, counter-sue. The protege who learned it eventually ran the country.
4.09
11k+
Confidence Man Summary
Confidence Man 91%
Roy Cohn's code: attack, deny, counter-sue. The protege who learned it eventually ran the country.
by Maggie Haberman 2022
4.09
11k+ ratings
How We Got to Now
by Steven Johnson • 2014
Six ordinary breakthroughs built the modern world; their biggest consequences were never planned.
4.12
16k+
How We Got to Now Summary
How We Got to Now 91%
Six ordinary breakthroughs built the modern world; their biggest consequences were never planned.
by Steven Johnson 2014
4.12
16k+ ratings
Capitalism in America
by Alan Greenspan • 2018
America's 400-year economic experiment: why each era's solution becomes the next era's problem.
4.06
2k+
Capitalism in America Summary
Capitalism in America 91%
America's 400-year economic experiment: why each era's solution becomes the next era's problem.
by Alan Greenspan 2018
4.06
2k+ ratings
The Square and the Tower
by Niall Ferguson • 2017
The real shapers of history were not kings but the networks connecting everyone else.
3.65
4k+
The Square and the Tower Summary
The Square and the Tower 91%
The real shapers of history were not kings but the networks connecting everyone else.
by Niall Ferguson 2017
3.65
4k+ ratings
The Pencil
by Henry Petroski • 1992
A pencil hides centuries of engineering failures, global trade, and the secret to good design.
3.80
657
The Pencil Summary
The Pencil 91%
A pencil hides centuries of engineering failures, global trade, and the secret to good design.
by Henry Petroski 1992
3.80
657 ratings
Wright Brothers, Wrong Story
by William Elliott azelgrove • 2018
Wilbur Wright solved flight alone. Orville Wright spent decades burying that fact.
3.66
130
Wright Brothers, Wrong Story Summary
Wright Brothers, Wrong Story 91%
Wilbur Wright solved flight alone. Orville Wright spent decades burying that fact.
by William Elliott azelgrove 2018
3.66
130 ratings
The Perfectionists
by Simon Winchester • 2018
From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.
4.15
7k+
The Perfectionists Summary
The Perfectionists 91%
From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.
by Simon Winchester 2018
4.15
7k+ ratings
Benjamin Franklin
by Hourly History • 2016
Ran away at 17 with empty pockets; by 70, he charmed France into bankrolling America.
4.18
632
Benjamin Franklin Summary
Benjamin Franklin 91%
Ran away at 17 with empty pockets; by 70, he charmed France into bankrolling America.
by Hourly History 2016
4.18
632 ratings
The Storm Before the Calm
by George Friedman • 2020
Every eighty years America's government breaks; every fifty, its economy. Now both arrive at once.
4.05
3k+
The Storm Before the Calm Summary
The Storm Before the Calm 91%
Every eighty years America's government breaks; every fifty, its economy. Now both arrive at once.
by George Friedman 2020
4.05
3k+ ratings
How the South Won the Civil War
by Heather Cox Richardson • 2020
Southern oligarchy lost the war but won the West, rebranding as cowboy individualism.
4.31
5k+
How the South Won the Civil War Summary
How the South Won the Civil War 91%
Southern oligarchy lost the war but won the West, rebranding as cowboy individualism.
by Heather Cox Richardson 2020
4.31
5k+ ratings
Civil Engineering
by David Muir Wood • 2012
Why bridges stand and dams hold: a compact tour of civil engineering, from soil to steel.
3.61
137
Civil Engineering Summary
Civil Engineering 91%
Why bridges stand and dams hold: a compact tour of civil engineering, from soil to steel.
by David Muir Wood 2012
3.61
137 ratings
The Great Reset
by Richard Florida • 2010
Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.
3.59
656
The Great Reset Summary
The Great Reset 91%
Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.
by Richard Florida 2010
3.59
656 ratings
The Original Black Elite
by Elizabeth Dowling Taylor • 2017
Reconstruction built a Black elite in Washington D.C. Jim Crow buried them and erased their story.
4.03
279
The Original Black Elite Summary
The Original Black Elite 91%
Reconstruction built a Black elite in Washington D.C. Jim Crow buried them and erased their story.
by Elizabeth Dowling Taylor 2017
4.03
279 ratings
Cities
by Monica L. Smith • 2019
Cities were never about efficiency. They were about all the things you cannot get alone.
3.26
446
Cities Summary
Cities 91%
Cities were never about efficiency. They were about all the things you cannot get alone.
by Monica L. Smith 2019
3.26
446 ratings
Master Switch
by Tim Wu • 2010
Telephone, radio, film, TV: each began open and ended a monopoly. The internet is next.
3.89
8k+
Master Switch Summary
Master Switch 91%
Telephone, radio, film, TV: each began open and ended a monopoly. The internet is next.
by Tim Wu 2010
3.89
8k+ ratings
Energy and Civilization
by Vaclav Smil • 2017
A week of American energy use matches a year of Nigerian. The history behind that gap.
4.09
4k+
Energy and Civilization Summary
Energy and Civilization 91%
A week of American energy use matches a year of Nigerian. The history behind that gap.
by Vaclav Smil 2017
4.09
4k+ ratings
Tesla
by Margaret Cheney • 1981
How the inventor of the twentieth century wound up alone with a white pigeon.
3.71
7k+
Tesla Summary
Tesla 91%
How the inventor of the twentieth century wound up alone with a white pigeon.
by Margaret Cheney 1981
3.71
7k+ ratings
George Washington's Secret Six
by Brian Kilmeade • 2013
Six civilians ran Washington's spy ring in occupied New York. Their names stayed hidden 150 years.
3.86
21k+
George Washington's Secret Six Summary
George Washington's Secret Six 91%
Six civilians ran Washington's spy ring in occupied New York. Their names stayed hidden 150 years.
by Brian Kilmeade 2013
3.86
21k+ ratings
All the Presidents' Bankers
by Nomi Prins • 2014
A century of backroom deals: how bankers, not presidents, drove America's rise to global power.
4.07
539
All the Presidents' Bankers Summary
All the Presidents' Bankers 91%
A century of backroom deals: how bankers, not presidents, drove America's rise to global power.
by Nomi Prins 2014
4.07
539 ratings
City of Women
by Christine Stansell • 1986
In early New York, working-class women built a hidden city of mutual aid and sexual exchange.
3.89
562
City of Women Summary
City of Women 91%
In early New York, working-class women built a hidden city of mutual aid and sexual exchange.
by Christine Stansell 1986
3.89
562 ratings
Industry and Empire
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1968
Britain's industrial head start created an empire-dependent economy destined to fall behind.
3.92
574
Industry and Empire Summary
Industry and Empire 91%
Britain's industrial head start created an empire-dependent economy destined to fall behind.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1968
3.92
574 ratings
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