This is a very good, highly readable history of James J. Hill, his family and his numerous successful business adventures, and the Great Northern Railway in particular.

Of the four major biographies of James J. Hill, this one is the best and most detailed. If it has a fault, it is that it is too detailed for many readers. But for those interested in the financial history of the Great Northern Railway and the personal history of its builder, this is the classic.

Martin had full access to the James J. Hill papers, now open to the public. Pyle's 1917 biography was also based on those papers, but Pyle was an employee of Hill's and tried to whitewash the truth, which actually made Hill look worse than he was. Holbrook's brief bio was based mainly on Pyle and rumor. Malone's 1996 book on Hill is to Martin's what Holbrook's was to Pyle's--a good intro but not as detailed as Martin's.

Railroads Triumphant has given me an excellent history as to why railroads died, and why they are coming back. The author's explanation of the various forms of governmental intervention and how they led to the railroad's demise were enlightening. The Stagger's Act of 1980 clearly was the defining moment when the government stopped micro-managing the railroads and allowed them to serve the public again. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who thinks that railroading is dead! I also reccomend it to anyone who thinks that governmental control is good for the public..