Andrew Carnegie
(1835—1919)

Industrialist and philanthropist

Scots-American who worked his way from railway clerk to the head of his company in 10 years. He consolidated his wealth in the oil and steel industries until, in 1900, he began spending it on charitable and philanthropic projects. Libraries, trusts and educational establishments benefitted, as did his home town of Dunfermline.

Carnegie In more than 600 pages, author Peter Krass delivers an almost overwhelming volume of facts about Andrew Carnegie, who certainly merits detailed study. Much in his life and work remains relevant today. A man emerges out of the mountain of facts who was unusually sensitive to the impact of new technologies and extraordinarily able to position himself to take advantage of them. Carnegie was a man of contrasts, ruthless, hypocritical, forceful and diffident, idealistic and amoral, driven to amass a fortune and philanthropic. We appreciate the effort behind this full scale biography of Carnegie, the first one offered for almost 30 years, and recommends getting to know this American icon.

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