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Andrew Carnegie
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The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie Kindle Edition

by Andrew Carnegie (Author), GP Editors (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 646 ratings
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Written in 1919 and published posthumously in 1920, ‘The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie’ is a very well-written and intriguing history of one of the most affluent men in the United States, a leading industrialist of the 19th and 20th centuries, Andrew Carnegie, who was one of America’s most triumphant and charitable businessmen.
The Autobiography conveys his rise to power, from ignoble beginnings in Scotland to controlling the biggest steel empire in the history of the United States. Carnegie lays down the blueprint for success, with plenty of inspiring life lessons, while also giving unique first-hand impressions of burgeoning 19th-century America and some of the most eminent people of the age, including Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain.
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  1. Print length
    236 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    GENERAL PRESS
  5. Publication date
    September 5, 2022
  6. File size
    2871 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andrew Carnegie emigrated from Scotland to the United States in 1848 at the age of 13. At the age of 65 he sold the Carnegie Steel Company to J. P. Morgan for $480 million and devoted the rest of his life to writing and philanthropy.

Gordon Hutner is a professor of American literature at the University of Illinois. He is the author and editor of many books and articles about fiction, ethnic studies, and American cultural criticism. He also edits the scholarly journal American Literary History.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BBRGYK7T
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ GENERAL PRESS; 1st edition (September 5, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 5, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2871 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 236 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1544700571
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 646 ratings

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Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie

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4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
646 global ratings
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical, insightful, and inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2023
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An impressive business man but an even more impressive philanthropist and friend. In an age where millionaires and billionaires seem to operate unchecked, it was refreshing to read how a self made millionaire and immigrant in the 1800s treasured and abided his duty to the public. To die a rich man is to die disgraced and he exemplified this spirit through his giving nature and friendship with others. I was surprised to learn how trusted of an advisor he was to Mckinley, Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington, and General Grant to name a few. Highly recommend this book for anyone looking to understand and admire the ability to obtain wealth and use it to make the world a better place.
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Daniel R. Pinto
4.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring an instructive glimpse of the industrialization of 19th century America
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2023
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Andrew Carnegie, born in Scotland in 1835, arrived in America at the age of 13, in reduced circumstances but with years of schooling behind him. Thanks to this education and to the devotion of his parents, he developed a drive to succeed. And succeed he did. Starting as a boy messenger in a Pennsylvania small town, he eventually became the second richest man in the world (after John D. Rockefeller, Jr.) while playing an important role in the development of railroads and the steel industry.

This part of the story is well told but, inevitably, the most fascinating part is about his early years at work, when he seized the opportunities that came his way and improved his position in life almost one step at a time. It is also instructive to learn how the seeds of knowledge planted in his mind during childhood bore fruit and left him with a lifelong belief in the importance of learning and self improvement.

In his later years, this belief would lead to the donation of almost his entire fortune - hundreds of millions of dollars - to the creation of 2800 public libraries in the United States, as well as other institutions devoted to the education and wellbeing of the public.

As a success story, few can surpass it, even though it’s not exactly rags to riches. Back in Carnegie’s native Scotland, before his father lost money for his failure to adapt to new production methods, his family had been relatively well off, and he had the advantage of a stimulating education. Still, not everyone, no matter how instructed, could be expected to seize every oppotunity in his way and improve his lot in life.

The final chapters of the interrupted manuscript (in fact, a compilation of texts put together after his death by a friend) are devoted to his efforts on behalf of world peace. We see him meeting presidents, kings, emperors, statesmen and thinkers in general. An annotated edition would have been particularly useful in this section of the book.

Carnegie was, almost to the end of his writing (the last manuscript dates from 1912 or 1913), optimistic about the prospects for peace after the creation of the International Court of Justice in the Hague. Unfortunately for him, he lived to see the more than four years of carnage of the Great War and died, in 1919, a heartbroken man.

Andrew Carnegie’s true legacy does not lie in his important contributions to the building of American infrastructure in the 19th century, but to his numerous endowments. The institutions he created are still with us today: the public libraries, the initiatives for international peace, the universities, the public parks, the monuments. According to his own professed views in the “Gospel of Wealth” (also included in this Signet Classics edition), people who die rich will pass away “unwept, unsorrowed, and unsung”: “The man who dies thus dies disgraced.”

This is an autobiography, and there seems to be evidence that Carnegie’s relations with his workers were not always as harmonious as he makes them out to be. He doesn’t admit to any personal guilt regarding the Homestead Strike of 1892, and yet other sources seem to imply that his handling of the crisis (which resulted in a number of deaths) was not beyond reproach. I’m looking forward to reading the biographies by David Nasaw and Peter Krass to find out more.

Does it really matter? Yes, to some extent, it does. We are nowadays more sensitive to issues of fairness in the workplace, and rightly so. Yet any assessment of Andrew Carnegie the man, warts and all, will have to take the unprecedented magnitude of his philanthropic deeds into account. And also the fact that, with his actions and ideas (as set forth in the Gospel of Wealth and other texts), he set an example for the wealthy to follow. When Bill Gates or Warren Buffett pledge to give away almost their entire fortune, we hear an echo of Andrew Carnegie’s ideal. He couldn’t prevent war, but he did leave the world a better place.
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Andrew Dobson
5.0 out of 5 stars The only reason you don't know about him, is because of his insanely modest and humble attitude
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2013
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Andrew Carnegie easily could have taken the slot as richest man ever in history. He could have also created a legacy like many of the other millionaires of his time to solidify his family name for eternity, but instead he chose to not give into 'one of man's greatest evils' (The worship of money), and use the influence he had to politically and socially elevate the world. There isn't a more inspiring figure to me than a man who where most people would only think for themselves, he thought of everyone but himself. There are many pages in this book, where Mr. Carnegie's had to fill in the details, because the guy was to modest to talk about himself in a bragging way. He teaches many great lessons about how public opinion is moot when you know you have a good cause. He preaches reading as practically the greatest good on earth, and spoke highly of his parents. Some of his chapters have inspired me (notably the one where he treats everyone, even people how to politically hurt him, by taking them out enjoying their company and then firmly telling them his stance). I read the book because I wanted to become a big shot entrepenuer, but by the last pages, Andrew Carnegie gave me something a lot greater, knowledge and and the mindset to always treat people like they deserve more dignity than the world gives them. This is not because I'm co-dependant or weak, but because we live in a very self-centered and greedy world, and Andrew Carnegie led by example on how to change that paradigm. He led the finest example I've ever read so far, and I encourage this book to everyone who has interests in autobiographical pieces.
27 people found this helpful
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Northeast Ohio
5.0 out of 5 stars this is a good read about one of the greatest Americans who ever lived. his work ethic is inspirational.
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2022
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A good read about a great American. He does gloss over a bit, but I recommend his book and the study of his legacy. These kind of men are responsible for the ease of living we enjoy today. They made America when life was brutal and left it for us to enjoy and to prosper from.
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Top reviews from other countries

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piero
5.0 out of 5 stars Small but gold
Reviewed in Italy on December 1, 2020
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Small but gold
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Dieter
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesante
Reviewed in Mexico on November 13, 2017
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Es un buen libro para conocer algo más sobre este señor. La lectura es lenta y al ser escrito en un inglés viejo, eso dificulta un poco la comprensión y lo hace más cansado.
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WINSTON
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 27, 2017
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One of the greatest man to live and the lessons are valuable even today.
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Ajinkya Raut
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on April 4, 2017
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Highly recommend reading this book if you want to be rich and dont have any money for startup.
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gail clark
5.0 out of 5 stars feelgood book of early business in the US
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2015
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what a lovely man, genuine and a very cute but good employer. True he was there at the right time and in the right place but there he differs from the other billionaires in that he loved his fellow men and wanted to do right by them and in most cases his workforce were very fortunate.

Excellent feelgood book, if business was able to function like that now!
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