<p>In 'John Jacob Astor,' Elbert Hubbard charts the extraordinary rise of the eponymous German immigrant turned American magnate, tracing his journey from modest beginnings to his status as one of the wealthiest men of his time. Hubbard's prose is as meticulous as it is engrossing, weaving a narrative that is both a testament to the American Dream and a penetrating study of capitalism's early days. The text is replete with the historical and econ...