The House of Morgan

I wrote this piece for a bookplate that the Education Justice Project at Illinois requested as a gift to the library at the Danville Area Correctional Center.

05/16/2019

The elegance and simplicity with which Chernow lays out this historical account of an industry as complex and notoriously secretive as finance are irresistible. Clearly aware of the mixed feelings of disdain and admiration that people have about finance, Chernow is honest about the gaps in its history and cites his sources accordingly. This 700-page saga is admirable for the wealth of private archives it unearths and, unlike the more modern books I’ve come across, for its unhesitating use of an English reminiscent of an older, more sophisticated generation.