Meet You in Hell

Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and the Bitter Partnership that Transformed America

By: Les Standiford

Narrated by: John H. Mayer

Two founding fathers of American industry. One desire to dominate business at any price.

“Masterful . . . Standiford has a way of making the 1890s resonate with a twenty-first-century audience.”—USA Today

“The narrative is as absorbing as that of any good novel—and as difficult to put down.”—Miami Herald

The author of Last Train to Paradise tells the riveting story of Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and the bloody steelworkers’ strike that transformed their fabled partnership into a furious rivalry. Set against the backdrop of the Gilded Age, Meet You in Hell captures the majesty and danger of steel manufacturing, the rough-and-tumble of the business world, and the fraught relationship between “the world’s richest man” and the ruthless coke magnate to whom he entrusted his companies. The result is an extraordinary work of popular history.

Praise for Meet You in Hell

“To the list of the signal relationships of American history . . . we can add one more: Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick . . . The tale is deftly set out by Les Standiford.”—Wall Street Journal

“Standiford tells the story with the skills of a novelist . . . a colloquial style that is mindful of William Manchester’s great The Glory and the Dream.”—Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

“A muscular, enthralling read that takes you back to a time when two titans of industry clashed in a battle of wills and egos that had seismic ramifications not only for themselves but for anyone living in the United States, then and now.”—Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River ©2005 Les Standiford; (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A muscular, enthralling read that takes you back to a time when two titans of industry, Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick, clashed in a battle of wills and egos that had seismic ramifications not only for themselves but for anyone living in the United States, then and now. . . . So engaging I found myself wishing only that it were longer.” —Dennis Lehane, author of Shutter Island and Mystic River

“This superbly researched and beautifully written account of the expression of business genius a century ago illumines both the sociopathy and the generosity that then as now characterize the dynamics of capitalism.” —Robert A. G. Monks, principal of Lens Governance Advisors and coauthor of Corporate Governance

“Les Standiford’s novelistic genius brings alive the familiar story of Carnegie and Frick with clarity and verve and a fresh eye. . . . The most dazzling aspect of this dazzling book is the author’s clear and engaging depictions of the intricacies of the business world of another century.” —James W. Hall, author of Forests of the Night

Steel town companion

This was a wonderful book to pair with our family weekend in Pittsburgh. The author presents an interesting recounting of good and bad aspects of the steel industry and the people leading the industrial expansion of America from ~1880-1910. I discovered this book while touring the Carrie Furnace, a supplier of iron to Carnegie's Homestead steel plant, and the book added wonderful historical depth to stories of our Carrie tour guide, Jim, who was a veteran skilled iron worker at that furnace.

Eye opening lives

Enthralled in the journey of there intertwined lives, what a time in history to be thankful for, and see we have learned some good lessons from history, too.

Great book

Extremely well written narrative of the lives of two men who made sweep. Effectively mix together the grand suite of history with revealing glimpses into the characters and lives of fascinating individuals. Highly recommend it.

interesting and detailed history

A great insight into a specific tale of the American Industrial Revolution and the effects on labor relations that are still felt to this day.

Narrator was superb.

MEET YOU IN HELL

This is very interesting book however there is huge mistake in a fact that needs to be amended. The Saugus Iron Works is in Massachusetts not Michigan as stated by the narrator. While listening to this there are similarities in the facts between Atlas Shrugged and this book.
It made wonder if the lives of the characters were the basis of the book?
There is also some embelishment of Carneigie's charity. It is rumored that the only reason the charities were started was because he did not want the goverment to get any of his money.