Walking through the History section of my local Border's , I saw this intriguing new title: An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power. As I realy like history about things other than government and politics I picked it up immediately.
Mr. Gordon does a fantastic job of making this book a page turner. From the invention of the corporation in early Holland to current events, he weaves a wonderful narative of the financial machinations which underpin our country. A new found respect for Alexander Hamilton emerges, as well as another black mark against Thomas Jefferson.
This is not an in depth intensive analysis of the financial history of the United States. It is, however, a brilliantly assembled and delightful read. An extensive bibliography will allow for further investigation into areas of interest. Overall a damn good book.
Unfortuantely, this is rare in history books. Too often I read names, dates and facts. The historian that can provide that most crude and basic information and weave it into a story, a true story is a rare bird indeed. And most appreciated.
