National Book Award Non Fiction Winner

The House of Morgan

by Ron Chernow

Summary

A century-spanning history of the Morgan banking dynasty, from J. Pierpont Morgan's Gilded Age dominance through the firm's mid-century reinvention and 1980s globalization. Chernow uses the Morgan partnerships as a lens onto the rise of modern finance, the regulatory upheavals of the New Deal, and the transatlantic relationships that shaped capitalism. His narrative gift turned a corporate chronicle into popular history.

Historical Context & Significance

This was Chernow's debut; he would later become world-famous for his biography of Alexander Hamilton (which inspired the musical).