Excerpt: "The history of any man who had been able to distinguish himself by acquiring in his lifetime the greatest amount of wealth ever accumulated by one man, would necessarily be of interest, even if his success had been won by the most ordinary of methods or the most marvellous succession of good fortune. But when that man is one whose career was full of the most dramatic incidents; when he won his wealth by feats of financial daring which astounded the world; when, in short, that man is Jay Gould, "The Wizard of Wall Street," then, indeed, the interest is most absorbing. Jay Gould has been more prominently before the people of the country for the last few years than has any other man whose prominence depended upon the magnitude of his fortune. In his history is much to be learned, both for imitation and avoidance, by every American. This volume contains, not only a complete account of the life and deeds of Jay Gould for the general reader, but also much for the student of financial affairs and Wall street methods. The particular effort of the author has been to secure its absolute accuracy and to make it entirely reliable. The present absorbing interest in the career of the great financier, and the fact that every source of information concerning him is being sought most eagerly, makes the work particularly timely."