The Book of Wealth - Book Ten

Hubert Howe Bancroft's 10-volume BOOK OF WEALTH explores the origins and influence of wealth, from the earliest civilizations to the dawn of the Twentieth Century. The books offer an in-depth look at the history of economics and finance relative to the history of the human race, and include Bancroft's extraordinary insights into the psychology of economic exchange as he examines the individuals, organizations and nations that have attained great wealth.In BOOK TEN Bancroft traces the history of America’s East Coast, from its colonial founders and early settlers through the region’s evolution into an economic and manufacturing powerhouse by the close of the 19th Century.Bancroft pays special attention to Boston, Philadelphia and New York City, offering vignettes of the determined, visionary men (and a few women) who built personal and family fortunes in a wide range of industries – shipping, railroads, manufacturing and mercantile, banking and finance, as well as others no one could have imagined at the country’s beginnings.In his final installment on art and architecture, Bancroft turns his critical gaze to Islam – whose lack of innovation (in his opinion) limited them to adapting existing structures, mainly for religious use.Bancroft is more forgiving of Romanesque style and the transition to Gothic architecture as cities became more wealthy, and commerce brought in culture and riches from the East.Sculpture, painting and other decorative arts get minor mentions this time around, as Bancroft seems to believe that the arts reached their peak in ancient Greece and never surpassed that level of achievement.