The railroads built our modern society, and this history explains the who, how, and why of it in a clearly written and utterly fascinating way.

A solidly researched account of the robber barons of the Gilded Age and the railroads on which they staked their success.

Iron Empires gives a thorough history of the economics of early railroad investment, and if you’re unfamiliar with the robber barons or early railroad history in America, you’ll likely learn a lot from this one. If you’re already familiar with the subject, there isn’t a lot that is new here aside from some anecdotes, though I found the book to be a helpful refresher on the subject.

This is largely the economic history of the topic, and I would have liked to see the author delve more into the evolution of train travel and transport as well as greater sense of time and place. The Pullman chapter was a highlight where we get a richer and more well-rounded account of events rather than purely economic narration.

The pacing and sense of narrative here is pretty good, especially for a book focused almost solely on the economics of an historical epoch, though that focus does make the book feel less atmospherically rich and well-rounded than I would have liked.

This was a great read on the men that built the railroad across America, very well written I found it incredibly interesting.

This was a nice blend of railroad history situated within the larger framework of Gilded Age American history. The story of wealth accumulation and outright chicanery by the Robber Barons of the day never ceases to amaze and disgust me. Hiltzik also nicely covers the multiethnic workforce on whose back the railroads were built. This offers a growing corrective to earlier works that focused on the money men themselves, often ignoring the multiethnic workforce that forged these iron arteries of the country.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. Whilr this book does describe the growth of railroad empires in the United States, it suffers from the in depth descriptions of the personality conficts inherent with the newly rich of the period. Don't get me wrong, this is certainly part of the story but it is given here much more that is needed. 'Iron Empires' belongs as part of anybody's history collection. I do not give it five stars because, as mentioned, it can be rather dry in parts.

The birth and growth of railroads in america was a tumultuous time. Iron Empires presents an interesting look at the rise of four key railroad robber barons and the empires they built. As much a history of Wall Street as a history of the railroads. The emphasis here is on the ownership struggles and the personalities rather than the details of how the specifics of the railroads involved. There is much here to contemplate in the context of our economic challenges and debate about the roll of concentrated wealth and Wall St, power on the rest of the country.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Iron Empires: Robber Barons, Railroads, and the Making of Modern America by Michael Hiltzik is a well-written, engaging look at the high-stakes deal-making and vicious battles for control related to the building of our nation’s railroads. The thoughtfully researched book covers the rail industry from just after the Civil War to the end of the 20th century.

Hiltzik begins by introducing readers to the major railroad industrialists before focusing in on the two key players, J. P. Morgan and E. H. Harriman. He then delves into the intense competition of their “Iron Empires” and the wild stock market gyrations, heated union strikes, and lasting changes in government-industry relationships their fierce rivalry sparked.

The book is illustrated with a fascinating collection of photographs, maps, newspaper clippings, and art. At the end, there is a helpful listing of references that is organized by chapter.

I would recommend Iron Empires: Robber Barons, Railroads, and the Making of Modern America to anyone interested in our country’s history and business development. It is an intriguing overview that, although detailed, left me wanting to learn still more about many of the issues covered. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read this NetGalley advance copy.

This is interesting. It's not a quick read because there's a lot of info tightly packed into it. I wouldn't go as far as saying it should be required reading, but it is interesting info that is important to the history of the US, and thus seems like more people should know at least some of our story as it relates to our rail lines and how vital they are/were to our everyday lives. Most history buffs will likely enjoy this.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

This book is well written and well reserached making it an interesting read. The author brings the history of railroading in the 1800's and early 1900's to life. He covers a lot of ground that has been previously written about specific railroads and individuals, but brings it all together in one book. This is a must read for those who have an interest in railroads and in particular the history of the Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, Central Pacific, Southern Pacific, etc.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook  page.