"The story of the Astors is an extraordinary but true tale of ambition, invention, destruction, and reinvention -- and of cunning, determination, hard work, hubris, infighting, and greed. One of the wealthiest men to have ever lived, John Jacob Astor first arrived in New York in 1783 and built a fortune through a ruthless expansion of his beaver trapping business, which he grew into an empire through real estate that enriched him at the expense of...

The bold, unscrupulous ventures of John Jacob Astor into fur trading and Manhattan real estate made him wealthy. The author follows the rise of the family's fortune and influence in the 19th century to the decline of the Astors in the 20th century.

Showcases several fabulous homes built by legends America's wealthiest tycoons, combining architectural, cultural and biographical commentary. Estates included are Beechwood and Cliveden (the Astors), the castle shared by Consuelo Vanderbilt and the Duke of Marlborough, Skibo (Andrew Carnegie), Chateau Sur Mer (two Vanderbilt brothers), The Breakers (Cornelius and Alice Vanderbilt), and Marble House (William and Alva Vanderbilt).