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The Empire of Business

Andrew Carnegie · 1902

A 1902 collection of essays by Andrew Carnegie offering advice to young businessmen on thrift, labor and management.

Carnegie wrote this collection of essays himself, laying out his personal philosophy of thrift, labor and business success.

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Front cover of a dark maroon cloth-bound book with gold lettering reading 'THE EMPIRE OF BUSINESS' across the top and 'ANDREW CARNEGIE' at the bottom. The cloth shows a mottled texture.
Andrew Carnegie, The Empire of Business, 1902.

About this source

What it is

The Empire of Business is a collection of essays written by Andrew Carnegie, published as a book in 1902. The essays, many of which first appeared in periodicals, cover topics such as the path to business success, thrift, the relationship between labor and capital, wealth, trusts, and the steel industry.

Why it matters

The book sets out Carnegie's personal philosophy of business, built on his own rise from a poor immigrant worker to one of the richest industrialists in America. It reveals how he wanted young men to think about money, hard work and success, and offers insight into the values that shaped his career and his later giving.

Look closer

  • What does Carnegie's advice to start at the "most subordinate" jobs suggest about his own beginnings?
  • Why might a wealthy industrialist want to write a guidebook for young men's careers?
  • What topics does the table of contents suggest were most important to Carnegie's view of business?

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.

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