The Witch Of Wall Street: Hetty Green

by Boyden Sparkes, Samuel Taylor Moore

The story of Hetty Green, reputedly the richest woman in the world.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Business, History

362 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1935

Reviews

[RebL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this in with my parents' books - I'm guessing my mom picked it up at a thrift store somewhere, as the pages are water-damaged, and my great aunt wrote her name in all her books. This is the story of Hetty Green, the "greatest miser in the world". It was kind of sad; she was not a happy woman it seems. A good deal of the story is of Victorian-era gossip and intrigue, but also now I have a better understanding of the phrase "waiting on my ship to come in."

This book was published in 1935 and is an interesting read since it's not a modern take.
Hetty Green's Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hetty_G...

[Mark Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be considered a classic of financial history. Hetty Green was arguably the best investor in all of US history, yet few people know her name today. This book recounts her extraordinary life and accomplishments during an era that was dominated by men. There are so many good lessons in the discipline of value investing embedded in this book. I highly recommend it to anybody who wants to become a better investor and to understand the financial history of the United States.

[Nicole Nunes · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing story about a woman business leader. I wish there was more about her.

[Elizabeth Hren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book. She was a remarkable and fascinating woman who was was way ahead of her time. I wish I had known her.

[P.J. Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hetty Green was said to be the richest woman in America, and the stingiest. This is her bizarre life story, well researched from books, newspaper and magazine accounts, interviews, letters, court and financial records, etc. Some of the dialogue may be improvised, but on the whole, a fact-based book with a solid historical backdrop. No particular bias. Hetty Green comes across as a suitable case for treatment, but the facts speak for themselves. Her eccentricities, however exaggerated by rumor, were real. This book does a good job of separating fact from rumor. Illustrated with family photos. No index or bibliography.

[Kevin Keating · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is somewhat interesting at first but kinda loses its lustre after 100 or so pages. Kinda just had to finish it with more of the same. Hetty Green was the richest woman in America and did it mostly by herself but never got to really like her much. Seems she had some serious neuroses that made her cheap her whole life. Didn't look like she enjoyed it much. Kind of a sad story. I am interested in finding out what has happened to her heirs since 1916. Overall, kind of tedious.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. Hetty Green was from my home town and the history of her family and the industry in New Bedford in the early and mid 1800's was fascinating. She was an extraordinary and unusual woman.

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, and goes beyond the popular picture of Hetty as a mean old woman who loved no one but her dog.

[Tara]

Found title in The Pale King.