T.J. Stiles talked about his book The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (Knopf; April 21, 2009). In his book Mr. Stiles recounts the life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was central in the ascendancy of the American corporation and whose fleet of steamships and railroad holdings allowed him to posses one of the largest fortunes in world history. T.J. Stiles discussed his book on stage with historical novelist, Kevin Baker. He also responded to questions from members of the audience. This event of the New York Public Library series "Conversations from the Cullman Center" was held on April 30, 2009, at 7 p.m. in the South Court Auditorium of the Schwarzman Building. This event was co-sponsored by the Museum of American Finance. T.J. Stiles is the author of Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War, which was the recipient of the Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship. Mr. Stiles formerly taught at Columbia University and was a Gilder Lehrman Fellow in American History at the New York Public Library's Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.