Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller »

The author of six books, Steve Weinberg has been a longtime board member of the National Book Critics Circle and currently teaches investigative journalism at the University of Missouri Journalism School. He lives in Columbia, Missouri.

“A demonstration that . . . the power of the press to expose corruption was not to be ignored.”—Paul E. Steiger, Wall Street Journal

Publishers Weekly

This extensively researched account of one woman's successful attempt to take on one of the largest oil companies in the world, which just happened to be owned by John D. Rockefeller, is a truly exceptional piece of work worthy of multiple listens. Pam Ward reads with vigor and enthusiasm, presenting Weinberg's account of Ida Tarbell and justice during the Progressive Era with honesty and resolve. Ward reads with remarkable clarity but never slows to a lethargic pace. While the subject may seem aimed at a limited audience, the topics of discussion are largely applicable in today's modern world, and Ward seems positively aware of this in her reading. A Norton hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 17). (May)

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Preface     ix
Ida Tarbell: A Childhood Portrait in Oil     3
John D. Rockefeller: A Young Adult Portrait in Oil     21
Civil War: Dodging Bullets as the Oil Flows     38
Moving Up     64
Lost, and Found     84
Discovering the Power of the Printed Word     101
Far from Home, Close to Home     126
McClure's Magazine     150
Napoleon     168
Unearthing Skeletons     177
The Expose Mentality     190
Researching the Behemoth     208
Exposed     219
A Question of Character     229
Aftermath of an Expose     244
For the Rest of Their Lives     259
Bibliographic Essay and Select Bibliography     275
Acknowledgments     289
Index     291