The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie and the Gospel of Wealth (Signet Classics) Mass Market Paperback – November 7, 2006

I recommend this book as part of my steel sharpens steel book club reading. I was impressed and surprised by Carnegie as young man. The level of respect he gave all men in such a day as his proved that human values Trump the way of the times or at least they should. I think this is a must read for True capitalist as well as socialist. His take on money and how it is not evil but the men who misuse it may well be. Is refreshing and inspiring as a capitalist with a social agenda myself.

Andrew Carnegie, born in Scotland in 1835, arrived in America at the age of 13, in reduced circumstances but with years of schooling behind him. Thanks to this education and to the devotion of his parents, he developed a drive to succeed. And succeed he did. Starting as a boy messenger in a Pennsylvania small town, he eventually became the second richest man in the world (after John D. Rockefeller, Jr.) while playing an important role in the development of railroads and the steel industry.This part of the story is well told but, inevitably, the most fascinating part is about his early years at work, when he seized the opportunities that came his way and improved his position in life almost one step at a time. It is also instructive to learn how the seeds of knowledge planted in his mind during childhood bore fruit and left him with a lifelong belief in the importance of learning and self improvement.In his later years, this belief would lead to the donation of almost his entire fortune - hundreds of millions of dollars - to the creation of 2800 public libraries in the United States, as well as other institutions devoted to the education and wellbeing of the public.As a success story, few can surpass it, even though it’s not exactly rags to riches. Back in Carnegie’s native Scotland, before his father lost money for his failure to adapt to new production methods, his family had been relatively well off, and he had the advantage of a stimulating education. Still, not everyone, no matter how instructed, could be expected to seize every oppotunity in his way and improve his lot in life.The final chapters of the interrupted manuscript (in fact, a compilation of texts put together after his death by a friend) are devoted to his efforts on behalf of world peace. We see him meeting presidents, kings, emperors, statesmen and thinkers in general. An annotated edition would have been particularly useful in this section of the book.Carnegie was, almost to the end of his writing (the last manuscript dates from 1912 or 1913), optimistic about the prospects for peace after the creation of the International Court of Justice in the Hague. Unfortunately for him, he lived to see the more than four years of carnage of the Great War and died, in 1919, a heartbroken man.Andrew Carnegie’s true legacy does not lie in his important contributions to the building of American infrastructure in the 19th century, but to his numerous endowments. The institutions he created are still with us today: the public libraries, the initiatives for international peace, the universities, the public parks, the monuments. According to his own professed views in the “Gospel of Wealth” (also included in this Signet Classics edition), people who die rich will pass away “unwept, unsorrowed, and unsung”: “The man who dies thus dies disgraced.”This is an autobiography, and there seems to be evidence that Carnegie’s relations with his workers were not always as harmonious as he makes them out to be. He doesn’t admit to any personal guilt regarding the Homestead Strike of 1892, and yet other sources seem to imply that his handling of the crisis (which resulted in a number of deaths) was not beyond reproach. I’m looking forward to reading the biographies by David Nasaw and Peter Krass to find out more.Does it really matter? Yes, to some extent, it does. We are nowadays more sensitive to issues of fairness in the workplace, and rightly so. Yet any assessment of Andrew Carnegie the man, warts and all, will have to take the unprecedented magnitude of his philanthropic deeds into account. And also the fact that, with his actions and ideas (as set forth in the Gospel of Wealth and other texts), he set an example for the wealthy to follow. When Bill Gates or Warren Buffett pledge to give away almost their entire fortune, we hear an echo of Andrew Carnegie’s ideal. He couldn’t prevent war, but he did leave the world a better place.

Andrew Carnegie easily could have taken the slot as richest man ever in history. He could have also created a legacy like many of the other millionaires of his time to solidify his family name for eternity, but instead he chose to not give into 'one of man's greatest evils' (The worship of money), and use the influence he had to politically and socially elevate the world. There isn't a more inspiring figure to me than a man who where most people would only think for themselves, he thought of everyone but himself. There are many pages in this book, where Mr. Carnegie's had to fill in the details, because the guy was to modest to talk about himself in a bragging way. He teaches many great lessons about how public opinion is moot when you know you have a good cause. He preaches reading as practically the greatest good on earth, and spoke highly of his parents. Some of his chapters have inspired me (notably the one where he treats everyone, even people how to politically hurt him, by taking them out enjoying their company and then firmly telling them his stance). I read the book because I wanted to become a big shot entrepenuer, but by the last pages, Andrew Carnegie gave me something a lot greater, knowledge and and the mindset to always treat people like they deserve more dignity than the world gives them. This is not because I'm co-dependant or weak, but because we live in a very self-centered and greedy world, and Andrew Carnegie led by example on how to change that paradigm. He led the finest example I've ever read so far, and I encourage this book to everyone who has interests in autobiographical pieces.

Grounded by loving parents, Mr. Carnegie advanced to achieve superlative success by his unique persona -- an uncompromising integrity, an incredible memory, and, never investing in the stock market. Surprisingly, the rhetoric is eloquent and captivating, despite no formal education. His intuitive instinct reflected his business approach: "... that capital, labor, and employer were a three-legged stool, none before or after the others, all equally indispensable" (p. 203). Unfortunately, no mention of his personal affairs. Nonetheless, a worthwhile enjoyable endeavor.