T. J. Stiles Books

NATIONAL BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD In this groundbreaking biography, T.J. Stiles tells the dramatic story of Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, the combative man and American icon who, through his genius and force of will, did more than perhaps any other individual to create modern capitalism. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, The First Tycoon describes an improbable life, from Vanderbilt’s humble birth during the presidency of George Washington to his death as one of the richest men in American history. In between we see how the Commodore helped to launch the transportation revolution, propel the Gold Rush, reshape Manhattan, and invent the modern corporation. Epic in its scope and success, the life of Vanderbilt is also the story of the rise of America itself.

Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for History In this magisterial biography, T. J. Stiles paints a portrait of Custer both deeply personal and sweeping in scope, proving how much of Custer’s legacy has been ignored. He demolishes Custer’s historical caricature, revealing a capable yet insecure man, intelligent yet bigoted, passionate yet self-destructive, a romantic individualist at odds with the institution of the military (court-martialed twice in six years) and the new corporate economy, a wartime emancipator who rejected racial equality. Stiles argues that, although Custer was justly noted for his exploits on the western frontier, he also played a central role as both a wide-ranging participant and polarizing public figure in his extraordinary, transformational time—a time of civil war, emancipation, brutality toward Native Americans, and, finally, the Industrial Revolution—even as he became one of its casualties. Intimate, dramatic, and provocative, this biography captures the larger story of the changing nation. It casts surprising new light on one of the best-known figures of American history, a subject of seemingly endless fascination.

At sixteen, Jesse James began his fighting career by killing Unionist neighbours on their doorsteps.

They led the armies of the Civil War and forged the most critical and violent chapter in American history...The military leaders, men of impassioned commitment and unrivaled courage, who recorded in vivid detail the war as it was, both on the battlefield and in their hearts and minds. These fascinating narratives are presented chronologically, woven together with insightful editorial notes, and accompanied by over 40 maps; together they comprise the Civil War experience, from daily army life to the sights and sounds of battle, to the moral and strategic decisions that rested upon the commanders' shoulders. Their words bring to life every significant passage in the course of the war...The Battles of Antietam and Bull Run, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Missionary Ridge and Gettysburg, the Invasion of Kentucky and the Battle of Perryville...the Union and Confederate strategies and campaigns...the Civil War's naval battles and the guerrilla war...Sherman's siege of Atlanta...and more.