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New York Times bestselling author and journalist Anderson Cooper teams up with New York Times bestselling historian and novelist Katherine Howe to chronicle the rise and fall of America’s legendary dynasty, his mother’s family, the Vanderbilts.
When 11-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt began delivering supplies for his father’s small ship in New York Harbor in the early 19th century, no one could have imagined that one day he would use ruthlessness, cunning and morbid desire to… money, building two empires—one a shipping empire, the other a railroad empire—that would make him the richest man in America. After his death in 1877, his heirs began to fight over his astonishing estate, creating a family feud that was never fully healed. Although his son Billy doubled the money left behind by “The Commodore,” subsequent generations raced to find new and more extraordinary ways to spend it. By 2018, when the last of the Vanderbilts were forced to move out of The Breakers, the 70-room summer estate in Newport, Rhode Island, built by Cornelius’ grandson and namesake By then, the family was unrecognizable to the tycoon who started it all.
Now Anderson Cooper, the Brigadier’s great-great-grandson, joins historian Katherine Howe to explore the story of his legendary family and its outsized influence. Cooper and Howe energized their ancestors, who built a family empire, enjoyed commodore wealth, threw lavish galas, and became synonymous with unbridled American capitalism and high society. From the slums docks of old Manhattan to the plush parlors of Gilded Age Fifth Avenue, from the opulent summer palaces of Newport to the courts of Europe and all the way to modern New York, Cooper and Howe wryly recount the triumphs and distinctions of American dynasties tragedy.
Written from a unique insider’s perspective, this is a rollicking, quintessentially American history that’s as extraordinary as the families it vividly captures.
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Customers say
Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable. They appreciate the interesting family history and insights into life in New York across centuries. The writing quality is described as superb, authoritative, and detailed. Readers enjoy the creative style and look at the machinations of NYC high society. They praise the author’s work as masterful and fantastic. The character development is described as rich and elaborate, presenting them as real people.
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