By Their Bootstraps:The Lives of Twelve Gilded Age Social Entrepreneurs

This book provides twelve brief biographical sketches of prominent social entrepreneurs from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among those profiled are Clara Barton (founder, American Red Cross), Lord Baden-Powell (creator, Boy Scouts), and Father Flanigan of Boys Town fame. The book is intended to show that individuals can make a social difference, helping the less fortunate and otherwise improving society, through application of the drive and talent that entrepreneurs typically use to create successful for-profit firms.