Samuel Insull (1859-1938) is hardly a household name, but at the height of his popularity he appeared on the cover of Time magazine as the rags-to-riches British-born secretary to Thomas Edison who amassed enormous wealth and power by supplying 32 states with cheap electricity. Veteran consumer journalist Wasik, who has written numerous books on retirement and investment tips, takes a turn at biography by attempting to update distinguished historian Forrest McDonald's definitive Insull. Wasik's sturdy endeavor does not match McDonald's deft telling of how Insull transformed Edison's invention into the illumination of millions of homes through a network of electrical power grids and how the ultimate collapse of Insull's overleveraged position left him broken and bankrupt while ruining the finances of his supporters. Wasik may have taken his cue from current corporate scandals such as Enron and WorldCom in deciding to pluck Insull from semiobscurity, as many of Insull's contemporaries (including FDR) believed him to be guilty (he was acquitted) of orchestrating the first large-scale corporate deception. An optional purchase for large public and academic libraries.-Peter R. Latusek, Stanford Graduate Sch. of Business Lib., CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Brilliant . . . brings Insull back to complicated life, and should revive interest in a forgotten giant.” —Chicago Sun-Times
“[A] focused look at one of the most interesting historical figures you've never heard of . . . a fascinating cautionary tale.” —Fortune
“Does a fine job of telling the early story of utilities, moguls and scandal.” —Chicago Tribune
“One of the most magnetic and powerful con artists of the Great Depression was Sam Insull. Patron of the arts, philanthropist and Thomas Edison's right hand, he shafted thousands of investors large and small. . . . I found the work of John Wasik not only personally enthralling but an informal history of that traumatic time.” —Studs Terkel
“[A] bittersweet biography of one of the titans of American industry, business and finance . . . Highly readable. . . .” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Wasik writes well, and Insull is a complex man whose life and times makes worthwhile reading.” —Publishers Weekly
“Bloomberg News columnist John Wasik points out in a new biography, Merchant of Power, Insull started as the financial manager for a big man—not Ken Lay, but Thomas Edison. . . .” —The New York Sun
“Wasik [has] taken his cue from current corporate scandals such as Enron and WorldCom in deciding to pluck Insull from semiobscurity, as many of Insull's contemporaries (including FDR) believed him to be guilty (he was acquitted) of orchestrating the first large-scale corporate deception.” —Library Journal
