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Fortune's Children

Fortune's Children

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Author: Arthur T. Vanderbilt 2nd
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Category: Book

List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $5.41
You Save: $14.54 (73%)



New (20) Used (29) Collectible (2) from $5.41

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 22 reviews
Sales Rank: 38074

Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1.4

ISBN: 0688103863
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.08621
EAN: 9780688103866
ASIN: 0688103863

Publication Date: February 20, 1991
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Like new item in Fine condition. EXCELLENT shape; no writing or underlining. Not from a library or publisher overstock. We will ship within 48 hours after purchase.

Also Available In:

  • Hardcover - Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt
  • Paperback - Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt

Similar Items:

  • The Vanderbilts
  • When the Astors Owned New York: Blue Bloods and Grand Hotels in a Gilded Age
  • The Vanderbilt Women: Dynasty of Wealth, Glamour and Tragedy
  • Lady on the Hill: How Biltmore Estate Became an American Icon
  • Mrs. Astor's New York: Money and Social Power in a Gilded Age

Customer Reviews:   Read 17 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars A look into some Vanderbilts   April 11, 2008
Arthur Vanderbilt II takes great care in researching and describing his own family tree. despite the fact that there are still many Vanderbilts that are missing, such as Frederick Vanderbilt who built the mansion in Hyde Park, NY, the book is a very good quick reference of the family tree.
This is a must have for historians of the Guiled Age and Vanderbilt family, as Arthur has compiled an extensive bibliography of re fences and primary sources that are immensely important for further research.



5 out of 5 stars Fortune's Children   February 13, 2008
Extremely interesting account of the demise of the Vanderbilt fortune. Obviously, this will not be available at the Biltmore Estate bookshop!


4 out of 5 stars Fortune's Children   January 13, 2008
Being a recent visitor to The Breakers and a past visitor to the Vanderbilt mansion on the Hudson River in New York, I am fascinated by this family and their lives.
I am still reading this book and find it quite interesting, but I would have liked to have a family tree just as another reviewer mentioned and definitely more pictures would have been appreciated.

I know that I will be purchasing other Vanderbilt books to quench my thirst for knowledge of this family.




4 out of 5 stars Why you shouldn't leave your kids any money   December 30, 2007
It was like reading a trashy novel - but this is nonfiction. I found it fascinating to read how a mob mentality can take over a person even when it is "mobs" of money surrounding them. Greed and status overtook any common sense, or even love for their children. I now understand why Andrew Carnegie gave all his money away.


5 out of 5 stars Compelling   July 26, 2007
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Since the book was written by a Vanderbilt, I dubiously expected a sanitized version and was delightfully surpised to find the author was brutally honest about the characters covered. This book was engrossing. I could not put it down. The portion about the Gloria Vanderbilt custody case was particularly engaging - what a piece of work the maternal grandmother was. But the book as a whole was a gem - I devoured every page and was sad to see it end.
I do agree with the previous reviewer who said a genealogical tree would have helped to refer to when reading about the characters and keeping track of how they were all related to each other, especially since the family was so fecund and so many of the men had similiar names. I think it also interesting the author does not mention precisely which branch of the family he is descended from. So perhaps he is trying to maintain some of his own identity. But all in all, this excellent read has whetted my desire to read more about the Vanderbilts, as well as other East Coast aristocratic families.



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