The Astors
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.22 (541 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1911445421 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 147 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-05-15 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Born in Vermont, USA she became a well-known journalist in the 1930s with her columns appearing on both sides of the Atlantic. At his death in 1848, he was the richest man in America — he ruled over an empire and had founded a dynasty. When twenty-year-old John Jacob Astor arrived in icebound Baltimore from Germany in 1783, his ambition was to live comfortably from the sale of musical instruments. There was Caroline Astor, who gave balls costing as much as $200,000. There was the Southerner Charlotte Augusta, who during the Civil War raised and equipped a regiment of black soldiers to fight for the North. But between them and their ancestor John Jacob — who had spent his early years trudging along Indian trails bartering for furs and his last fourteen years quadrupling his fortune many times over on Manhattan real estate and rentals — lies a peerless array of characters, social and political forces in their own times, whose power and prestige continue to be felt today. Virginia Cowles(1910-1983) was an author and journalist. There was the vindictive, prickly William Waldorf Astor, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress. From the free-wheeling entrepreneurial days of the early nineteenth century through two world wars to today, the Astors have been in the forefront of their age, both here and abroad, luminaries of politics, society, and culture. And there was Nancy Astor, vociferous Member of Parliament and leader of th
Diana's Book Reviews said Interesting Family book could have been better. I gave it a three star, I felt the quality of the writing could be better. I kept getting lost, not sure who the author was talking about. The chapters where long and sometimes talked about more than one person and I wasn't even sure who or even what century the author was talking about. I also felt that s. Laughably Bad and Ridiculously Snobbish Lynda B. Generally speaking, I enjoy history when told in a story-telling style - particularly when the story includes interesting or little known anecdotes. But, as it IS history it should also be completely factual. It is one thing if the author is writing in a "tongue in cheek" style, but entirely another when t. "An iconic American family--warts and all" according to Steven Peterson. This is a terrific biography of a family--the Astors. Both the American and English branch are profiled. The era explored ranges from the 1700s--and the birth of John Jacob Astor--to the present. The vast fortune available to the family early after the first Astor began creating an empire (furs, real estat