Ron Chernow's monumental biography of John D. Rockefeller Sr. is one of the great achievements of American business history writing — a comprehensive, deeply researched, and psychologically nuanced portrait of the man who built Standard Oil into the most powerful private enterprise in American history and in doing so invented many of the techniques of modern corporate organization and management. Chernow traces Rockefeller's origins in rural upstate New York through his rise in the Cleveland oil refining business, the audacious campaign of secret railroad rebates and predatory pricing that allowed Standard Oil to gain control of 90% of American oil refining capacity by the 1880s, and the eventual Supreme Court dissolution of the Standard Oil trust in 1911 — which made Rockefeller instantly wealthier as the shares of the broken-up companies surged in value. The biography is unusually balanced in its treatment of a figure who was simultaneously one of the most productive wealth creators in history and one of the most ruthless business competitors: Chernow documents both the genuine strategic vision and operational brilliance that made Standard Oil extraordinary and the systematic intimidation and deception that constituted its competitive methods. The book also covers Rockefeller's extraordinary philanthropy in his long retirement, including the founding of the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University, and his pioneering approach to systematic charitable giving. Essential reading for anyone interested in the foundations of American capitalism.