Although I've read about the railroad builders, the bribery, the abuses, and how even through greed and incompetence, railroads were still pivotal in opening the West, what I found interesting in this book is the follow through as the 19th century ended and the 20th century began. I wasn't as familiar with that part of the history and found it quite interesting. Mr. Hiltzik covers the railroad's history well as to how it's entwined with financial dealings. He shows the development warts and all. I've developed a new interest and respect for Harriman, a name I didn't recognize like those more familiar ones such as Vanderbilt, Fisk, Gould, and Morgan. Perhaps because Mr. Hiltzik's intent is to keep this factual, as colorful as some of these bigger than life robber barons seemed, this book did not go into actual character studies even though the chapters seemed organized by the different individuals and/or pivotal events. As such, it did not engage me as much as I expected. My rating is 3 stars because of this.