Since reading The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
, the towering biography of J.P. Morgan by John Chernow, I've been intrigued by the legacy of the great financier and others of his ilk. Several years ago, while in NYC for a few days, I visited the Morgan Library. While not as impressive as other shrines to rich and powerful men (e.g., George Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate), it was certainly an enjoyable and educational field trip. So, when I saw that Scott J. Winslow was presenting a catalog devoted to the financial gaint, I thought it was worth a mention here. According to the Winslow site, the catalog traces the the course of Morgan's prolific career, which saw presidencies from Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt.
Ironically, it was almost exactly 100 years ago when old J.P. bailed out the country by loaning millions to the banks during the financial panic of 1907. Without J.P.'s cash infusion, the U.S. might have suffered a catastrophy that might have altered the course of the 20th century. Who would we turn to today?
Ephemera collectors will undoubtedly appreciate this extensive catalog featuring Morgan and his many influential associates and partners, including John D. Rockefeller, Jay Cooke, Anthony Drexel, and Jay Gould.
Search Abebooks for the books listed in this post.
I too recently visited The Morgan Library. Impressive, for sure, but I wished they had more books "out" on display. I heard from a friend who lives in NYC yesterday that all of Morgan's Gutenberg Bibles are on display for the month of June. One of the most interesting things from my visit was the story of Morgan's personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene. When I got home, I checked out a biography on her life and how she came to work for JP Morgan. It's called: An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege by Heidi Ardizzone. Fascinating read! :)
Posted by: Christy | June 20, 2008 at 08:19 PM