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268th out of 386 books
—
154 voters
Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt: the very name signifies wealth. The family patriarch, "the Commodore," built up a fortune that made him the world's richest man by 1877. Yet, less than fifty years after the Commodore's death, one of his direct descendants died penniless, and no Vanderbilt was counted among the world's richest people. "Fortune's Children" tells the dramatic story of all the ama...more
Paperback
Published
February 20th 1991
by William Morrow Paperbacks
(first published 1989)
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The book profiles the Vanderbilt heirs. The first chapter, obligatorily about the Commodore, is a tale often told, most recently in The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt. which led me to this 1989 book. The following chapters describe children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and a few great-great-grandchildren. The female scions, who are essentially disinherited, are dropped right away, as are the Commodore's son Cornelius and his progeny. There are a few tales of some high...more
I picked up this book at the library after a recent trip to Newport, where we toured the Breakers and Marble House, two magnificent 'cottages' built by Vanderbilts for millions of dollars and used by their owners for about 1 year. Who are these crazy Vanderbilts?
The saga of the Vanderbilts can at times be mistaken for fiction. The cankerous patriarch Commodore... the social schemer Alva... the unwilling bride Consuelo... the staid Cornelius and Alice... the custody fight over young Gloria... sup...more
The saga of the Vanderbilts can at times be mistaken for fiction. The cankerous patriarch Commodore... the social schemer Alva... the unwilling bride Consuelo... the staid Cornelius and Alice... the custody fight over young Gloria... sup...more
On my Vanderbilt reading jag because of visiting Biltmore: this one delves into the individuals more than the previous book, and tends to be more conversational. It almost has a gossipy feel to it, which is kind of fun to read. It uses lots of quotes from numerous sources, so it's not just a dry history. What amazes me as I read about the Vanderbilts is how much money was spent so quickly and sometimes so thoughtlessly. I'm sure there were other wealthy folk in the Gilded age you did the same, b...more
As my dear friend Taylor would say, "This is some crazy shit." Regardless, it's also one of the Vanderbilt "history books" that the National Park Service uses to educate their guides in Hyde Park, NY. Edmund Morris has nothing on this author, Arthur T. Vanderbilt II (and a lawyer by training), who recounts pages + pages of dialogue "verbatim," recounting conversations 100 years old. It makes for for some very lively reading...
Wow. This family is off the chain. Starting with the "godfather", if you will, of the Vanderbilts, the Commodore, tells about billions made from a $100 loan from his mother and his rise through the steamboat business to railroading. Their many children and grandchildren, etc., who carry on the family business and the descriptions of their elaborate lifestyles in the Gilded Age and beyond are something out of a fairy tale. Includes the Astors and many other rich families back that era...Each chap...more
Specifically bought this one after a visit to The Biltmore about 4 years ago. I was in Pigeon Forge, TN with my mom and aunt looking for something to SEE (Pigeon Forge was just blah to me). I was stunned when we arrived at The Biltmore. Now, that place is something to SEE. So then I was fascinated and wanted to learn about a family who built a bonafide castle in North Carolina. So yeah, I started this book about 4 years ago and have yet to finish it...it's interesting, but it's loooong, lots of...more
I really enjoyed this book about the rise and heady decline of the Vanderbilt empire of wealth in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Author Arthur Vanderbilt withholds no criticism on the foibles and excessive spending tendencies of his ancestors, and is actually a breezy, smart writer. Drawing on newspaper articles and on books and journals written by everyone from the Commodore to Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the author pieces together a story of wealth gone wrong that is truly stra...more
The subtitle of the book, "The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt" says it all. The author is one of the (relatively) impecunious Vanderbilts, who inherited the name but not much of a fortune. He chronicles how an almost unimaginable fortune was made by the driven, resourceful "Commodore" Vanderbilt in 19th century but then squandered by the Commodore's heirs over the next few generations. It's a juicy story, but rather depressing, as the money apparently did little other than fluff up the heirs' e...more
Enjoyed this informed, well-written account of wealth decline during the Gilded Age in America's richest family. Focusing on the first four generations of Vanderbilts, it has all the detail and critical acumen of Wendy Burden's more recent account, and none of the venom. There are many very funny moments to balance the unhappiness which appears to be a heritable trait.
Dozens of books have been written about this family, many by family members themselves. This is one of the best I've read.
Dozens of books have been written about this family, many by family members themselves. This is one of the best I've read.
Fascinating study of the Fall of the Vanderbilts. Too many children were their biggest problem. The fortune was diluted with each passing generation. The other problem was too many Vanderbilt men marrying women who loved to spend the fortune. Didn't they know where it came from? The Depression and income taxes did their part to finally finish off the fortune.
Many interesting tales of prominent persons and their interaction with the Vanderbilts. Winston Churchill, somewhat in his cups, was hit b...more
Many interesting tales of prominent persons and their interaction with the Vanderbilts. Winston Churchill, somewhat in his cups, was hit b...more
The story of the Vanderbilts and their pursuit of wealth and notoriety was extravagant and juicy enough to keep me interested; the book itself, which was penned by a Vanderbilt descendant, was poorly written and edited. Lack of flow and abundance of repetition distracts from the content and makes completing the book a chore. Although knowing more about the family enhanced my visit to the Vanderbilt's Biltmore estate, I would recommend passing on this one.
This is a dip and chew read, a bit heavy for reading straight through, but very interesting. The richest family in the world couldn't stop themselves from spending. Usually they built ever larger and more elaborate things, particularly houses and ships. When the spending outran their income, they started spending the principle. Imagine how well that went! Colorful people living strange and shortsighted lives.
Fascinating story about the Vanderbilt family written by Arthur Vanderbilt. Commodore Vanderbilt made his money in shipping and railraods --and was in the late 1800's the richest man in the world. His grandchildren lived lavishly --very few were happy. The account of how they lived reads like a soap opera --tales of greed, jealousy and hedonistic behavior.
It would have been helpful to have had a family tree included in the book. I found interesting to compare the New York of today with NY of the Vanderbilt era. Also, they proved how difficult it is for success and fortunes to last through the third generation.
Fascinating book! Could not put it down! What a perfect example of money not bringing happiness. So sad how this family spent so much money on themselves and at the same time being so out of touch with reality.
A story of unbelievable wealth and privilege in the days before the federal income tax, when families were able to keep and pass on all of their wealth to suceeding generations, whehther they deserved it or not.
This book was very interesting historically, but I found the family itself to be so depressing, making the same mistakes over and over again in different generations. It did make me realize that money, definitely, is not the answer to happiness. Worth a read!
I have read this book of and on for 3 weeks, and each time I picked it up it was absolutely absorbing and so interesting to read of the Vaderbilt family. The story of what had been the richest family in the world, through the business acumen of the founder Cornelius (The Commodore) Vamderbilt, to the ultimate squandering of this fortune by subsequent generations in the late 19th, and early 20th, century New York leaders of an elite society of 'nouveau riches'. A fascinating read.
fascinating to see how a huge fortune was desimated in a few generations.
Cornelius Vanderbilt left a fortune of $100 million dollars in 1877 when he died, equivalent to $147 billion dollars in 2007. He left $95 million dollars to his son William and almost nothing to his 8 daughters and wife or to charity.
William increased his wealth by another $80million dollars before he died 9 years later making him the richest man in the world at the time and also gives him the ranking of 4th richest man of...more
Cornelius Vanderbilt left a fortune of $100 million dollars in 1877 when he died, equivalent to $147 billion dollars in 2007. He left $95 million dollars to his son William and almost nothing to his 8 daughters and wife or to charity.
William increased his wealth by another $80million dollars before he died 9 years later making him the richest man in the world at the time and also gives him the ranking of 4th richest man of...more
Jaw-dropping story of the vast fortune made, then spent in ridiculous, social-climbing ways, by the Vanderbilts. Fascinating and well-researched.
I read this years ago and found it absolutely fascinating. I'm excited to see that MacMillan is reissuing it sometime in the next year.
An amazing story of how one man built an empire and the following generations managed to spend it into ruin.
Good gossipy book on the Vanderbilts. Explains where all the money went.
I've been meaning to read this book for years and finally got around to it. I've been facinated by the Vanderbilt family and the Gilded Age since my first trips to the Biltmore Estate as a small child. It was amazing to read just how quickly a few generations managed to lose an enormous amount of money. I mean, it was a HUGE amount of money. And that all of their homes in NYC are gone. Every last one of them. Grand Central Station is the only building remaining, which I think is probably the mos...more
This was a fascinating look at The Vanderbuilt family; the ruthless rise to power, and their financial fall...from unbelievable wealth to veritable poverty. With expectations and lifestyles beyond imagination, the Commodore's children squandered a fortune that was once one of the "building blocks" of this country.
Very long but worth the read.
SO SAD
Very interesting book about the Vanderbuilt fortune.
This was a pretty interesting book about a family that found a way to spend millions, hurting each other along the way, and then of course building houses too. Overall I am glad I read the book, I just kinda wish there was a mini family tree of the people discussed in the front of the book, because it seemed everyone was named Cornelius and Neil and William, and it took some thought to keep it all on track.
Interesting book. It's amazing that so very many millions of dollars could be spent in just three generations. I've always held a romantic idea of the Gilded Age. Yes, there was a huge class divide, yes there was excess, but the dresses! the parties! the gorgeous mansions! This book has done a lot to dispel some of that romanticism by pointing out the waste, unhappiness, and superficiality of the era.
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