Rothschild : the wealth and power of a dynasty
by Derek Wilson
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine/very good +
- ISBN 10
- 0684190184
- ISBN 13
- 9780684190181
- Seller
-
Gridley, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988. First American Edition, 1st Printing. 1/4 cloth. Fine/very good +. A fine, first American edition, with complete number line. In a very good plus, original, unclipped dust jacket showing one small closed tear to front top edge.ix, 490, [8] pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; index. Octavo. A generation-spanning chronicle of the German-Jewish merchant-banking clan, which falters badly after a strong start. Wilson, a British journalist, secured the cooperation of many living family members. In the case of contemporary Rothschilds, he has made unfortunate use of his access, recording their activities in fawning fanzine prose: Baron Edmond, readers are assured, "finds the title. . .rather absurd and is at pains to put people at ease"; Baron Elie is characterized as becoming "most animated, not over matters financial or vinicultural, but on the subject of his family's charitable institutions." If Wilson is slavish toward the quick, though, he's judicious in his accounts of the dead--as he traces the Rothschilds' rise from their roots as enterprising coin dealers to wealth and power throughout 19th-century Europe. As the author makes clear, patriarch Mayer Amschel did not farsightedly dispatch his five sons to separate Continental capitals to launch a financial empire; the young men left on their own, mainly to escape the stifling environment of Frankfurt's ghetto. Nor, the author shows, was Nathan's legendary market killing in the wake of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo attributable to any more remarkable means than the family's highly efficient courier service. Beyond portraying them as tireless networkers, Wilson offers precious few details on how Rothschilds managed to amass and expand fortunes. He nonetheless does a generally good job of tracking the dynasty heirs as they made their way in an often hostile and anti-Semitic world. On balance, the Rothschilds have been an accomplished, secretive but high-living and resilient lot. They have survived and thrived through wars, market panics, confiscation, and other untoward events. In addition to finance, Rothschilds have made names for themselves in ventures ranging from modern dance through the fine arts, horticulture, horse racing, wine, and philanthropy. In years past, their political influence with the likes of Bismarck, Churchill, Disraeli, and Metternich made them powers to be reckoned with. More recently, Baron Guy played a leading role in making Charles de Gaulle leader of the Free French in WW II London. The line is far from played out, but, despite Wilson's best efforts to prove otherwise, the now dispersed family's socioeconomic status in an increasingly corporate world is no longer what it once was..." ---Kirkus
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Details
- Bookseller
- Uncommon Works (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 1339
- Title
- Rothschild : the wealth and power of a dynasty
- Author
- Derek Wilson
- Format/Binding
- 1/4 cloth
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- very good +
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First American Edition, 1st Printing
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0684190184
- ISBN 13
- 9780684190181
- Publisher
- Charles Scribner's Sons
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1988
Terms of Sale
Uncommon Works
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About the Seller
Uncommon Works
Biblio member since 2014
Gridley, California
About Uncommon Works
Not your ordinary book store! Uncommon Works specializes in rare, odd, unique, and handmade books, with a focus on the Maya, Latin America, Native America, and the Spanish Conquest. You'll find rare, first editions and first or early printings. You'll even find a few first printings of living authors for sale. We provide services and referrals for book mending, repair, restoration, and binding.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Number Line
- A series of numbers appearing on the copyright page of a book, where the lowest number generally indicates the printing of that...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...