... lively, succinct, altogether admirable.

Concise.

... smart.

Steinmetz writes in short chapters and with focused and clear prose, weaving in vital historical context. The result is like a chronological collection of news articles about particular episodes of Gould's life. It's an accessible and informative biography that communicates a clear message and major ramifications for today's different, but in some ways similar, rough-and-tumble business world..

Steinmetz briskly tells financier and railroad leader Gould's rags-to-riches story and gives a nuanced view of this man of contradictions and why he matters.

Vivid, witty, and well-researched.

Steinmetz offers entertaining descriptions of Gould’s gutting of the Erie Railroad, the financial panic produced by his effort to control the gold market, and his failed attempt to combine American railroads into a single continental system.