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This is a biography of William Andrews Clark, the Montana Copper King, 1839-1925, and his children by a former agent to one of Clark's sons. The author was associated with the family for thirty years. This is one of the books that makes one exclaim truth is stranger than fiction. The old Clark amassed a fortune of nearly two hundred million dollars. He was born of poor farmers in a long cabin which housed his parents and their eleven children. The parents had migrated from Ireland to Pennsylvania shortly after the Revolutionary War. The most impressive character is the old Copper King himself. Already in childhood he excelled in the capacity for very hard and consistent work. An extraordinary intelligence, persistence and singleness of purpose marked him until the end of his days. None of the children equalled him in these respects. The book is written very clearly in spite of the vast amount of information contained in it. The author does not distribute praises or scorns. However, in reading this remarkable socio-psychological document it is good to keep in mind that—as far as psychological description is concerned—both the father and the children are portrayed mainly as members of their family and of the society in which they lived. Their activities in the business and technical world in which they displayed their best assets are not well described. The tone of the book is very calm but its content appears to be rather onesided.
Piotrowski