Daniel Alef: 59 books

Biographical profile of Daniel Webster, a great statesmen, lawyer and public speaker. As an attorney, Daniel Webster represented some America's greatest tycoons and served as legal counsel in several cases that established important constitutional precedents that confirmed the authority of the Federal...

Editorial ReviewsFrom Publishers WeeklyCalifornia joined the Union in 1850; just in time for the state's sesquicentennial comes this big, ambitious and well-researched debut, the first in a planned historical trilogy from Santa Ynez valley lawyer Alef. In 1829, a light-skinned daughter is born to...

Mark Zuckerberg, the 26-year-old founder of Facebook, is the youngest self-made billionaire in history. He is also considered by many to be one of the most influential persons in the information age. His impact on American culture is virtually unprecedented. The recent film, "Social Network" does not...

Daniel Keith Ludwig wore cheap shoes and eyeglasses, carried a plastic raincoat when it rained, flew economy class, and carried his own bags. Neighbors thought he was a mid-level manager. He was not. Ludwig was one of the wealthiest men, one of the few billionaires in the 1950s. He was reclusive and...

Daniel Drew was a robber baron in every sense of the term. He loved to be hated. He was into money for the game. Making money was great, but making it while stabbing someone in the back was better, and if the victim was his partner, electrifying. Yet, he could defraud someone one day and somehow wheedle...

Biographical profile of Jay Gould railroad tycoon and baron of Wall Street. Jay Gould one of the richest and most hated men in America in the 1880s was an elusive slippery character difficult to assess and more difficult to understand. The secretive tycoon was brilliant and ruthless perhaps the quintessential...

Biographical profile of Cornelius Vanderbilt entrepreneur shipping and railroad magnate and one of the wealthiest and best known tycoons in American history. Uneducated and coming from a poor background Vanderbilt built an empire beginning with sailboats before graduating to steamships. His shipping...

Jack Warner epitomized the great Hollywood studio chief. He was admired as much as he was feared, engaged in battles with some of Hollywood's greatest legends from Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney to Olivia de Havilland and Bette Davis. Under his tutelage Warner Bros. gave us some of the most memorable...

Biographical profile of Andrew Carnegie, one of the wealthiest American tycoons of the Gilded Age, the late 19th century when America's moguls amassed great fortunes and lived extravagant lifestyles. Countless books and articles refer to Carnegie as a "robber baron." A few hail him as one of America's...

Biographical profile of George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Co. and inventor of the Kodak and Brownie cameras that revolutionized photography. In roughly 30 years beginning in 1880, Eastman changed the world of photography. Instead of cameras the size of microwave ovens, and the need for a tent,...

Kelly Johnson designed the Blackbird, a plane that flew non-stop from London to Los Angeles in less than four hours, outracing the sun and landing four hours before it had taken off, a remarkable feat--and this was more than 35 years ago. Johnson was the innovative genius behind Lockheed's "Skunk...

Biographical profile of Charles Lewis Tiffany, jeweler, silversmith and founder of Tiffany & Co., one of the world's foremost producers of fine jewelery. Known as the "King of Diamonds," Tiffany developed the English standard for sterling silver, and created America's first retail catalog....

On Jan. 2, 1910, leading aviators from around the globe converged on Dominguez Hills near Los Angeles for the Los Angeles Air Meet. During the 10-day event, 226,000 spectators saw a dazzling display of airplanes and flight. Many world records were shattered; one pilot soared to 4,164 feet, while Glenn...

Biographical profile of Marshall Field, founder of the Chicago store bearing his name and benefactor of the 1893 Columbian Exposition and what is now known as the Field Museum of Natural History. The New York Times called Field the "richest merchant in the world," and "the largest individual taxpayer...