Tycoon's War: How Cornelius Vanderbilt Invaded a Country to Overthrow America's Most Famous Military Adventurer Cover
Podcast Mentions

Tycoon's War How Cornelius Vanderbilt Invaded a Country to Overthrow America's Most Famous Military Adventurer

Stephen Dando-Collins

When he died in 1877, Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of the Vanderbilt dynasty, was wealthier than the U.S. Treasury. But he had nearly lost his fortune in 1856, when William Walker, a young Nashville genius, set out to conquer Central America and, in the process, take away Vanderbilt's most profitab...

Podcasts 2
Quotes 8
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend

Anderson discussed his new book, which detailed the rise and fall of the Vanderbilt dynasty, highlighting the family's wealth and the resulting misery it caused across generations.

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His new book, Vanderbilt, The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty is available now.

— Episode: Anderson Cooper

Episode: Anderson Cooper

Anderson discussed his new book, which detailed the rise and fall of the Vanderbilt dynasty, highlighting the family's wealth and the resulting misery it caused across generations.

"

His new book, Vanderbilt, The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty is available now.

Man, this book is fantastic and of course you're writing this story because you are a direct descendant of the great Vanderbilt.

And what this book chronicles, which it's a tale as old as time, is just how much misery all this money brought. And the pathology of it.

Well, the book is terrific. Congratulations, Vanderbilt.

I got the sense that reading it that it's a great historical account but it's also, I would think therapeutic because I know that you spent the majority of your life not wanting to face this side of your family tree and wanting to make it as Anderson Cooper.

Behind the Bastards

It's a book about William Walker's career, and the Kato Foundation website featured a review of the book that presented a very positive view of Walker's actions in Nicaragua.

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with the same strict discipline he used in his Sonora campaign Walker and 58 men sailed in May 1855 for Nicaragua and made their raid of the revolutionary capital of Leon Walker's reputation had prece...

— Episode: Part Two: The Dumbest Colonizer in Histo...

Episode: Part Two: The Dumbest Colonizer in History

It's a book about William Walker's career, and the Kato Foundation website featured a review of the book that presented a very positive view of Walker's actions in Nicaragua.

"

with the same strict discipline he used in his Sonora campaign Walker and 58 men sailed in May 1855 for Nicaragua and made their raid of the revolutionary capital of Leon Walker's reputation had preceded him and he was well received he and his men captured Granada their fighting abilities and walkers leadership defeated numbers that were as much as 10 to 1

Episode: Part Two: The Dumbest Colonizer in History

A book about William Walker's career. It was discussed at the end of the podcast, primarily as a source for libertarian perspectives on Walker, which were characterized as inaccurate and potentially revisionist.

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with the same strict discipline he used in his sonora campaign walker and 58 men sailed in may 1855 for nicaragua and made their raid of the revolutionary capital of leon walker's reputation had preceded him and he was well received he and his men captured granada their fighting abilities and walkers leadership defeated numbers that were as much as 10 to 1

Episode: Part Two: The Dumbest Colonizer in History

It is a book that discussed Walker's career and was favourably reviewed by the Cato Institute, which praised Walker's strict discipline and leadership, although omitting the fact that his forces were often drunk and poorly equipped.

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with the same strict discipline he used in his Sonora campaign walker and 58 men sailed in may 1855 for nicaragua and made their raid of the revolutionary capital of leon walker's reputation had preceded him and he was well received he and his men captured granada their fighting abilities and walkers leadership defeated numbers that were as much as 10 to 1

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.