Titan

By Ron Chernow

Categories: Biographies & Memoirs

Ron Chernow's 1998 biography follows John D. Rockefeller from his early years as the son of an itinerant salesman to the founding of Standard Oil, its enormous success and its eventual breakup. Drawing on Rockefeller's own papers, Chernow also traces the large-scale philanthropy that filled much of his later life. He offers a balanced portrait of the oilman, capitalist and philanthropist, avoiding the extremes of earlier biographers who cast him as either hero or villain.

Recommended by 6 people

• Charlie Munger
• Austen Allred
• Ryan Holiday
• Andrew Ross Sorkin: “Then grab Ron Chernow’s “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller Sr.””
• Patrick Collison: “Titan is an impressive work, clearly the product of prodigious research.”
• Shane Parrish: “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller by Ron Chernow (This has been on my shelf since Charlie Munger recommended it, time to pull it out.)”