Stanford University is a product of the Gilded Age, when robber barons turned their attention to culture. The original Stanford trustees were commemorated in the now rare Bancroft commemorative souvenir volume, which is presented with a commentary by Professor Paul Rich. Paul Rich was Titular Professor of International Relations and History at the University of the Americas-Puebla, Mexico and Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, as well as a fellow of the Royal History Society, and recipient of the James Carter and Cameron awards for social science research. He is a life governor of Harris College, Oxford University and the author of many works on the relationship between ritual and politics.