National Book Award Non Fiction Winner

The House of Morgan

by Ron Chernow

Summary

A history spanning a century of the Morgan banking dynasty, from J. Pierpont Morgan's Gilded Age dominance through the firm's midcentury 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 famous around the world for his biography of Alexander Hamilton (which inspired the musical).