The Vital Few: The Entrepreneur and American Economic Progress

Description

Economic history is made not by impersonal forces, but by extraordinary individuals. In The Vital Few, distinguished economic historian Jonathan Hughes presents eight vivid portraits of the entrepreneurs who shaped the American economy — from William Penn and Eli Whitney to Henry Ford and J. Pierpont Morgan.

Originally published in 1966, this classic study argues that the economy has its heroes: empire-builders, inventors, financiers, and social innovators whose energy, imagination, and stubbornness changed the course of American enterprise. Each essay shows how one person’s vision — and appetite for risk — bent history in a new direction.

Lucid, engaging, and rich in human detail, The Vital Few remains essential reading for students of economics and business history, and for anyone who wants to understand the personal forces behind America’s rise. A book that proves the economy, too, has its heroes — and that behind every great enterprise stands an individual willing to risk everything.

The Vital Few: The Entrepreneur and American Economic Progress by Jonathan Hughes is a classic study of how a handful of extraordinary individuals shaped the American economy. Originally published in 1966 (Oxford University Press, Galaxy Books), it argues that economic history is made not by impersonal forces but by the energy, imagination, and stubbornness of real people.

Hughes, a distinguished economic historian, presents eight vivid portraits of American entrepreneurs — examining legendary figures such as William Penn, Eli Whitney, Henry Ford, and J. Pierpont Morgan, alongside other empire-builders, inventors, financiers, and social innovators. Each essay shows how one person’s vision — and appetite for risk — changed the course of American enterprise.

Lucid, engaging, and rich in human detail, The Vital Few remains essential reading for students of economics and business history, and for anyone who wants to understand the personal forces behind America’s rise. A book that proves the economy, too, has its heroes.