In this book, author Allan Nevins analyzes the multifaceted, but at the same time, in a certain sense, limited personality of John D. Rockefeller. Childhood years, extraordinary parents, the beginning of a journey in business, where there was a lot: bribery of officials, and ruin of competitors - in a word, everything that characterizes the first stage of wild capitalism. But at the same time, from the first days of his activity, Rockefeller donated a lot and consistently both to the church community and, subsequently, to the foundation, which still exists and bears his name. This book reveals the secrets of how one person managed to concentrate in his personality such a powerful influence on the destinies of all mankind.