American Rascal

From an acclaimed financial historian comes the first ever biography of Jay Gould, the greatest of the 19th century robber barons, whose brilliance, greed, and bare-knuckled tactics made him richer than Rockefeller and led Wall Street to rethink its free-for-all culture and institute its first financial reforms.

Reviews

"Lively, succinct, altogether admirable... [American Rascal's] fair-mindedness never dims the pleasure of a speedy narrative."— The Wall Street Journal

"Fabulous book" — Jim Cramer

"Steinmetz has written a rollicking biography that brings back to life one of the most fascinating and colorful characters of 19th century American capitalism. Before George Soros, Carl Icahn and Ken Griffin, there was Jay Gould—and his tactics would have made them all blush." — John Carreyrou, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Blood

“An engaging portrait of the hidden genius of railroad magnate Jay Gould and the era of bare-knuckle capitalism he wrought... American Rascal masterfully charts Gould's remarkable rise from the backwaters of commerce to his rightful place, alongside Vanderbilt and Rockefeller, as one of the leading industrialists and financiers of America. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand how money is made— and lost.” — Anita Raghavan, author of The Billionaire's Apprentice: The Rise of the Indian-American Elite and the Fall of the Galleon Hedge Fund

 "A captivating re-examination of Jay Gould, one of history's most important and infamous financial speculators, and a wildly entertaining look at Wall Street's Wild West era." – Gregory Zuckerman, special writer at The Wall Street Journal, and author of A Shot to Save the World: The Inside Story of the Life-or-Death Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine

"A gripping biography of a 19th century robber baron.” – Fortune

"Steinmetz’s fast-moving and eminently readable biography shows how Gould thrived within the context of his times but also that his greed led to necessary reforms." – BookPage

"Entertaining.. A sturdy biography of an American businessman who cared about one thing: money." – Kirkus Reviews

"A well-rounded biography of railroad tycoon and Wall Street investor Jay Gould... This colorful and diligently researched account rescues a Gilded Age robber baron from infamy." – Publishers Weekly

"In this vivid, witty, and well-researched portrait, financier and biographer Steinmetz  details how speculator and railroad baron Jay Gould used 'brains, guile and brute force' to become rich and shape America… Like such notable biographies as Robert Caro’s studies of Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson, Steinmetz chronicles his subject’s strengths and weaknesses within a rich historical context... Readers will enjoy Steinmetz’s wonderful background sketches of the Gilded Age and appealing accounts of railroad history.” – Booklist (starred review)