Winner of the National Book Award:
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Selected as one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and many more. To see a full list, go here.

To view T.J. Stiles's acceptance speech for the National Book Award, go here.

"This is a mighty — and mighty confident — work, one that moves with force and conviction and imperious wit. . . . I read eagerly and avidly. This is state-of-the-art biography, crisper and more piquant than a 600-page book has any right to be."
—Dwight Garner, New York Times

"Monumental and outrageously entertaining. . . . The nearly 600 pages of text seem to fly through your hands."
—Allen Barra, Truthdig.com

"[A] superbly written and researched book worthy of its subject."
—The Economist


————————————

Welcome to the online home of biographer T.J. Stiles, author of The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, published by Alfred A. Knopf, and Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War, in paperback from Vintage.

Jesse James won the Ambassador Book Award and the Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship. It was named a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Biography and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

On this website, you can discover more information about T.J. Stiles, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the writing of The First Tycoon. And you can still view extra features on Jesse James, including background information that does not appear in the book itself, as well as reviews and essays.

What's New?

To watch T.J. Stiles discuss The First Tycoon at the New York Public Library, broadcast on CSPAN's BookTV, click here.


Go to the Media Center for audio files of interviews with T.J. Stiles.
Read essays by T.J. Stiles and additional information about the life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, beyond what's contained in the book.
Read T.J. Stiles's essay on the secret message his great-great-grandfather left inside Lincoln's watch, at The Atlantic Online.

What's on this site?
Use the menu bar to go to specific pages, which contain the features detailed below.

Reviews & Awards:
1) Read extended excerpts from selected reviews of The First Tycoon and Jesse James.
2) See a list of the prizes awarded to Jesse James.

Jesse James:
Read extended excerpts from primary sources on which Jesse James was based, and essays with information and interpretations not found in the book itself.

T.J. Stiles:
Read a detailed biography of author T.J. Stiles.

Public Talks:
Find out about upcoming events, see interviews with T.J. Stiles, and find out how to request an interview or author appearance.

First Tycoon:
Read about T.J. Stiles's new book: The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, from Alfred A. Knopf.

Vanderblog:
More of an essays-and-resources page than a blog, the Vanderblog provides information and discussions related to The First Tycoon, including details not included in the book.

Resources on this Website

Media Center
Interviews with T.J. Stiles about The First Tycoon
Dwight Garner on The First Tycoon, New York Times, 04/29/09
"I read eagerly and avidly. This is state-of-the-art biography."
New York Times Book Review (Cover Review of Jesse James), 10/27/02
"So carefully researched, persuasive, and illuminating that it is likely to reshape permanently our understanding of its subject's life and times."