Biography: business and industry Books

Book SynopsisFrom the founders in the late nineteenth century to Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV, billionaire owner of the New York Jets, the Johnson dynasty mirrors the Kennedy clan in its propensity for scandal and tragedy. This biography uncovers the very private lives of the Johnson family, their immense power, their extraordinary wealth, and dramas.

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Book SynopsisGrinding It Out: The Making of McDonalds is the personal story behind founder Ray Croc's amazing success. The Founder, is a major motion picture based on Ray Kroc's life, to be released on August 5th, 2016 in wide distribution

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Book Synopsis Betsy Prioleau’s biography of Gilded Age female tycoon Miriam Leslie is “an appropriately twisty tale of someone trying to outrun her origins. . . . Her story sparkles, as intoxicating as a champagne fountain that somebody else is paying for” (New York Times Book Review). Among the fabled tycoons of the Gilded Age—Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt—is a forgotten figure: Mrs. Frank Leslie. For 20 years she ran the country’s largest publishing company, Frank Leslie Publishing, which chronicled postbellum America in dozens of weeklies and monthlies. A pioneer in an all-male industry, she made a fortune and became a national celebrity and tastemaker in the process. But Miriam Leslie was also a byword for scandal: she flouted feminine convention, took lovers, married four times, and harbored unsavory secrets that she concealed through a skein of lies and multiple personas. Both during and after her lifetime, glimpses of the Trade ReviewThe fascinating true story of the first publishing titan in America—the forgotten Mrs. Frank Leslie, a Gilded Age journalistic powerhouse who led a life of intrigue, scandal, and grit. Diamonds and Deadlines takes us inside a world of larger-than-life characters, cinematic scenes, and dramatic exposés. Mrs. Leslie, a legend in her time, was not who she seemed. Betsy Prioleau restores this fabulous, pioneering woman to her rightful place in history with novelistic flair and zest. * Arianna Huffington, founder & CEO, Thrive Global *Riveting. . . . Betsy Prioleau has drawn a fascinating portrait of a self-made, up-from-poverty publishing tycoon, the irrepressible Miriam Leslie, whose exploits scandalized society during the Gilded Age even as she shaped modern culture with her popular magazines. * Meryl Gordon, New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Astor Regrets, The Phantom of Fifth Avenue, and Bunny Mellon *Diamonds and Deadlines is the deftly told account of a bold, dazzling woman who used sex, deceit, and her publishing empire to become a powerful, bold-faced celebrity during New York's Gilded Age. Prioleau's skillful narrative hand and intimate historical detail do justice to Miriam Leslie, resurrecting her from all-but-forgotten figure to an emblem of feminism. * Esther Crain, founder of Ephemeral New York and author of The Gilded Age in New York, 1870–1910 *What a rollicking, rollercoaster read! The astonishing Mrs. Frank Leslie has found her perfect champion in biographer Betsy Prioleau. Prioleau's meticulous, engaging account of the dazzling life of one of America’s most splendid and spirited entrepreneurs, a woman of tremendous dynamism, bursts with color and excitement. With great skill, Prioleau describes the resourcefulness, magnetism, and charm of a woman who pushed herself to the center of a dazzling, debauched social milieu, populated by an extraordinary cast of misfits, arrivistes, and the unimaginable wealthy, whose 'carnival excesses' she then documented in her sensational newspapers and magazines. Mrs. Frank Leslie, a dazzling pioneer of nineteenth century journalism and publishing, reinvented herself multiple times, made and lost several fortunes, and stopped society in its tracks time and time again, most notably in the way she disposed of her fortune. Prioleau's pacy, gripping narrative, sharp-witted asides, and skill at invoking the opulent spectacles, scents, and sounds of fin de siècle New York, London, and Paris, propelled me through switchback, cinematic chapters with wonderful cliff-hanger endings. Fun, fascinating, and gloriously gossipy. * Eleanor Fitzsimons, author of Wilde's Women and The Life and Loves of E. Nesbit *“An appropriately twisty tale of someone trying to outrun her origins. . . . Her story sparkles, as intoxicating as a champagne fountain that somebody else is paying for.” * The New York Times Book Review *Ms. Prioleau brings this forgotten woman vividly to life. . . . Along the way, she provides a wider picture of the society Miriam inhabited, with its extremes of affluence and penury. . . . Part of the pleasure of the book is the Kim Kardashian factor—reading about a woman who breaches social norms and succeeds on her own terms. * The Wall Street Journal *“Prioleau skillfully untangles the mysteries of Miriam’s early life and vividly evokes the era. This entertaining biography restores a remarkable woman to her rightful place in American history.” * Publishers Weekly *“They just don't make characters like this anymore. Kudos to Prioleau for her gallant historical rescue mission.” * Kirkus *“[An] eye-widening biography . . . Prioleau tells Miriam’s roller-coaster tale with thrilling precision within the finely rendered context of evolving newspaper and magazine publishing, the struggles for worker and women’s rights, and historical events propelled by outrageous charlatans that are disturbingly relevant to the present. . . . High praise to Prioleau for so vividly and incisively telling the whole dramatic story of this ‘titanic vanguard figure.’” * Booklist STARRED Review *

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Book SynopsisThe cofounder of Microsoft, Bill Gates helped transform society by ushering in the era of ubiquitous personal computing. This book examines the life and achievements of this standout American inventor and philanthropist.Trade ReviewWith Bill Gates: A Biography Becraft has provided a concise, fairly thorough, and well-written biography of one of the most influential business leaders of the past 20 years. . . . The book is well written, with little or no obvious bias. . . . The introduction to the series included with this book states that it (and the rest of the series) is intended for public and school libraries. It would be well suited for these libraries, and could be useful in academic libraries serving community and junior colleges, as well as those supporting lower-level baccalaureate students. * ARBA *Table of ContentsSeries Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Timeline: Events in the Life of Bill Gates Chapter 1 Bill Gates before Automated Computing Chapter 2 Early Days in Computing Chapter 3 Early Days of Microsoft Chapter 4 Development of Products Used Today (1985–1998) Chapter 5 Why Was Microsoft So Successful with Bill Gates? Chapter 6 Microsoft Trial Chapter 7 Steve Jobs and Bill Gates Chapter 8 Bill Gates in Writings Chapter 9 Family and Home of Bill Chapter 10 Role in Corporate Governance, Activism, and Outside Interests of Bill Gates Chapter 11 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Giving Pledge Conclusion Notes Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisEveryone knows that Lord Sugar has strong opinions and is not afraid to share them - no matter how controversial they may be. The Way I See It takes us into the world of Alan Sugar: entrepreneur, Twitter addict, television star, keen cyclist, peer of the realm and bemused grandfather. In The Way I See It he shares his trenchant views on subjects as varied as over-priced poncy restaurants, the problems with British society, why French drivers wind him up, the secrets of his own success, and the reason he respects Katie Price more than most celebrities. Crammed full of brilliant stories, amusing rants and sound advice, this is the last word on life, the universe and everything from the nation''s favourite straight-talking businessman.

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Book SynopsisThe enduring story of Thomas Watson Jr.-a figure more important to the creation of the modern world than Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, and MorganNearly fifty years into IBM's existence, Thomas Watson Jr. undertook the biggest gamble in business history when he "bet the farm" on the creation of the IBM System/360, the world's first fully integrated and compatible mainframe computer. As CEO, Watson drove a revolution no other company-then or now-would dare, laying the foundation for the digital age that has transformed every society, corporation, and government.The story of Watson being "present at the creation" of the digital age is intertwined with near-Shakespearean personal drama. While he put IBM and its employees at risk, Watson also carried out a family-shattering battle over the future of the company with his brother Dick. This titanic struggle between brothers led to Dick's death and almost killed Watson Jr. himself.Though he was eventually touted by Fortune magazine as "the greatest capitalist who ever lived," Watson's directionless, playboy early years made him an unlikely candidate for corporate titan. How he pulled his life together and, despite personal demons, paved the way for what became a global industry is an epic tale full of drama, inspiration, and valuable lessons in leadership, risk-taking, and social responsibility.

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Book SynopsisJohn Jenkins, Maine's first Black state senator and mayor of both Lewiston and Auburn, led a remarkable life and his influence extended far beyond his politics and his constituents. He was a four-time world champion in karate and through his business PEP (Personal Enrichment Programs) Talk he gave individuals and organizations the tools for change based on stories and lessons fostering community and the interdependence of mind and spirit. And he was a talented puppeteer who used puppets in presentations to schools throughout Maine. He loved stories, and used them to lower barriers between himself and the largely white audiences of his adopted state.This moving biography by John's friend and Bates College classmate, Chuck Radis, reminds us all of Jenkins' generous spirit and of his contributions to our state. He gave us lessons we would all do well to remember.

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