Throughout time, from ancient Rome to modern Britain, the great empires built and maintained their dominion through force of arms and political power over alien peoples. In this illuminating work of history, John Steele Gordon tells the extraordinary story of how the United States, a global power without precedent, became the first country to dominate the world through the creation of wealth.
The American economy is by far the world's largest, but it is also the most dynamic and innovative. The nation used its English political inheritance, as well as its diverse, ambitious population and seemingly bottomless imagination, to create an unrivaled economy capable of developing more wealth for more and more people as it grows.
But America has also been extremely lucky. Far from a guaranteed success, our resilient economy continually suffered through adversity and catastrophes. It survived a profound recession after the Revolution, an unwise decision by Andrew Jackson that left the country without a central bank for nearly eighty years, and the disastrous Great Depression of the 1930s, which threatened to destroy the Republic itself. Having weathered those trials, the economy became vital enough to Americanize the world in recent decades. Virtually every major development in technology in the twentieth century originated in the United States, and as the products of those technologies traveled around the globe, the result was a subtle, peaceful, and pervasive spread of American culture and perspective.

An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power

Business & Money

Gordon, John Steele

Economics

Harper

Throughout time, from ancient Rome to modern Britain, the great empires built and maintained their domination through force of arms and political power. But not the United States. America has dominated the world in a new, peaceful, and pervasive way - through the continued creation of staggering wealth. In this authoritative, engrossing history, John Steele Gordon captures as never before the true source of our nation's global influence: wealth and the capacity to create more of it.This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

Reference

Harper-perennial

A Thread Across the Ocean: The Heroic Story of the Transatlantic Cable

Today, in a world in which news flashes around the globe in an instant, time lags are inconceivable. In the mid-nineteenth century, communication between the United States and Europe -- the center of world affairs -- was only as quick as the fastest ship could cross the Atlantic, making the United States isolated and vulnerable.
But in 1866, the Old and New Worlds were united by the successful laying of a cable across the Atlantic. John Steele Gordon's book chronicles this extraordinary achievement -- the brainchild of American businessman Cyrus Field and one of the greatest engineering feats of the nineteenth century. An epic struggle, it required a decade of effort, numerous failed attempts, millions of dollars in capital, a near disaster at sea, the overcoming of seemingly insurmountable technological problems, and uncommon physical, financial, and intellectual courage. Bringing to life an overlooked story in the annals of technology, John Steele Gordon sheds fascinating new light on this American saga that literally changed the world.

Computers & Technology

Networking & Cloud Computing

The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power: 1653-2000

A vividly rendered history of this important stretch of real estate traces the long rise of Manhattan's storied financial district from colonial outpost to the technological epicenter of world finance, chronicling the cast of visionaries, power brokers, and criminals who made it happen.

Biography & History

Scribner

In The Great Game, acclaimed business historian John Steele Gordon chronicles the rise of Wall Street from its humble beginnings as an American trading post to its domination of the world economy, bringing to life the remarkable cast of bankers and brokers, visionaries and crooks who made it happen. From Alexander Hamilton to Michael Milken, the history of Wall Street is a history of risk, courage, avarice, patriotism, power, genius, and, occasionally, remarkable stupidity. In Gordon, Wall Street has finally found a biographer worthy of its extraordinary story.

SIMON AND SCHUSTER

On January 8th, 1815, 5300 British troops attacked 4500 entrenched and prepared Americans outside New Orleans. In a battle lasting half an hour, the British suffered casualties totalling 2036. American casualties were 21. It remains to this day the worst defeat in the whole long history of the British Army.

History

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Simon&Schuster

Wall Street has been many things in its day. It began as the northern defensive perimeter of a wilderness trading post, at a time when money was limited to gold and silver, and wealth was enjoyed by few. Today, it is a metaphor for the global financial market, as wealth has spread far and wide. Yet Wall Street itself continues to grow and evolve as the world's centre of financial power. How Wall Street, money and wealth reached today's extraordinary high is told in this book covering 350 years of history. And John Steele Gordon seeks answers to Adam Smith's question as to the purpose of all the "toil and bustle".

The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power

Texere Publishing,US

Hamilton's Blessing: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Our National Debt

Diane Pub Co.

Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street As a World Power 1653-2000

Measured at the staggering amount of $5.1 trillion (and growing every day) the national debt is unfathomable to most Americans. What we may not realize is that the United States was born out of debt. After the Revolution, the brilliant Alexander Hamilton was less interested in paying down the Revolutionary war debt than in using it to create a vibrant national economy. "If it is not excessive," he declared, "a national debt will be to us a national blessing." In a fascinating narrative brimming with colorful characters, historical accidents, and American ingenuity, business historian John Steele Gordon leads us on a tour of an American institution whose largely unknown story has been integrally entwined with our country's destiny. At key points in U.S. history, Gordon shows how the national debt has been a potent instrument of fiscal policy in keeping the world safe for democracy. But how much debt is too much? At a time when we despair of balancing even a single year's budget, Hamilton's Blessing provides much needed perspective - and hope. * Author writes the "Business of America" column in American Heritage magazine and is heard often on public radio's "Marketplace."

Walker Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gordon, John Steele. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Gordon, John Steele

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gordon, John Steele. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power

An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power

A Thread Across the Ocean: The Heroic Story of the Transatlantic Cable

The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power: 1653-2000

The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power: 1653-2000

A Thread Across the Ocean: The Heroic Story of the Transatlantic Cable

The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power

Hamilton's Blessing: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Our National Debt

Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street As a World Power 1653-2000

Hamilton's Blessing: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Our National Debt