Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1893

The Alpha of Money: A Reply to Carnegie's A.B.C. of Money

George Reed · 1893

An 1893 pamphlet by George Reed answering Andrew Carnegie's writing on silver and currency.

A contemporary reply to Carnegie's writing on money, showing that his economic opinions were publicly debated in his own time.

Ask Andrew Carnegie about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
The Alpha of Money: A Reply to Carnegie's A.B.C. of Money
George Reed, The Alpha of Money: A Reply to Mr. Carnegie's A.B.C. of Money, 1893. Internet Archive scan.

About this source

What it is

This is a 41-page printed pamphlet by George Reed, published in 1893 with copyright held by the author. It is a reply to Carnegie's essay "A.B.C. of Money" and deals with the silver question, a central currency debate of the period. The copy shown is a scanned PDF from the Internet Archive, held in the University of California collection.

Why it matters

In the 1890s Americans argued fiercely over whether silver should be used alongside gold to back the money supply. Carnegie took a position in that debate, and Reed answered him in print. The pamphlet shows that Carnegie's public writing on money was contested by other citizens, and that ordinary readers took part in economic arguments of the time.

Look closer

  • What does the epigraph from Disraeli suggest about the author's confidence in his argument?
  • Which of Carnegie's claims does Reed seem to challenge, and how?
  • Who would have been most affected by the money policies being argued over, and does the pamphlet speak for them?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Andrew Carnegie on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Andrew Carnegie sources

Meet the AI Andrew Carnegie →
Document

Primary source

The Gospel of Wealth

Andrew Carnegie · June 1889

Front cover of a dark blue cloth-bound book with a textured fabric surface and a spine along the left edge, showing no visible title or text in this view.Book

Primary source

The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie · 1920 (published posthumously)

Black-and-white page from Harper's Weekly, July 16, 1892, showing a wood engraving titled The Homestead Riot. Armed men in bowler hats and uniforms stand in a crowd near barges, with smoke rising behind a large building. Men in the foreground, one with a bandaged head, walk away from the scene.Newspaper article

Primary source

The Homestead Riot

W. P. Snyder · 16 July 1892

Black-and-white studio portrait of an elderly man with white hair, a full white beard, and a dark suit with a white shirt and dark tie, against a black background, looking toward the viewer.Photograph

Primary source

Portrait of Andrew Carnegie

1913

Typed letter on cream paper from Andrew Carnegie's office, 2 East 91st Street, New York, dated April 18th, 1905, to Chancellor James R. Day of Syracuse University, confirming $150,000 for the library building, signed by P. Secretary.Letter

Primary source

Andrew Carnegie Papers

Andrew Carnegie · 18 April 1905

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Andrew Carnegie now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions