4 comments about Vesco.

1. Beyond the obvious research the author has done on the subject; he has painted a picture of one of those men in history who lived a colorful life at possibly the wong time. In today's world Robert Vesco would probably be a hero.



2. The book is about as good as any book could be, given the secrecy in which its main subject operated. It never gives the reader any clarity about why Vesco committed the crimes that made him famous (he could have made just about as much money legally, and would not have ended up in jail in Cuba as a result.) But in a case where little is known about what precisely happened, it is unfair to expect Herzog to explain why it happened. Anyway, this is the only book on Mr. Vesco that discusses his later career, and it sorely deserves an update. Required reading for any scholars of 1970s finance or Wall Street scandals.



3. VESCO:FROM WALL STREET TO CASTRO'S CUBA by Arthur Herzog is a riveting study of while-collar criminal, Robert Vesco, accused by the Securities Exchange Commission of looting Bernard Cornfeld's Investor's Overseas Service (IOS) of 425 million in 1986. Vesco fled the USA before he was brought to trial, presumably, taking the money with him. The ingredients of "game playing", secretiveness, manipulation, bravado, and a "slippery streak" mixed with a more than usual dose of greed and chutzpah is the foundation of the Vesco legend.
   Herzog looks at his ambitious childhood in Detroit, his early marriage at seventeen, and his knack of losing jobs. After awhile Vesco decides to start his own businesses, ultimately creating wealthy conglomerates. But Vesco did not work alone; he sought out and persuaded powerful, wealthy men to join him in his various get-rich schemes. After he left the country, he still had a line to the best attorneys to represent him and to powerful politicians to protect him, as he hop-scotched around the Caribbean--Costa Rica, the Bahamas, Nicaragua, Antigua, and eventually Castro's Cuba. It is here that Herzog catches up with the fugitive financier and gets the first interview ever with him. Ironically, Herzog's last question, "Bob, was it all worth it?" is left unanswered as Vesco scurries away.
   * * *



4. I would love to meet and greet the person the book is about. It is as if he has left no stone unturned. Mr. Vesco if you can read this please call me @ 1-313-577-6951. Thanks Carole McCormick.

No comments about A Spy on the Bus.

4 comments about Karsten's Way: The Life-Changing Story of Karsten Solheim-Pioneer in Golf Club Design and the Founder of PING.

1. Tracy Sumner's Karsten's Way is the fascinating biography of Karsten Solheim who was a visionary pioneer in the design of golf clubs, the founder of PING, and for whom The Solheim Cup was named. Karsten's influence and ideas were to profoundly influence both golf and the golf equipment business. If you've ever held a golf club in your hands, or wondered how the business aspects of the game have evolved, this Karsten's Way will prove to be as inspiring as it is informative.



2. A good book to read when you feel like things aren't going your way....there's a reason why things happen in people's lives (i.e. GOD)...after i read the book i now know why i felt PING golf equipment is the best...never sacrifice what you believe in



3. Friendship and respect are two of the most precious assets in a man's life. Karsten Solheim enjoyed both in large measures throughout the golf world. We shared a very special relationship, owed to my now having played Ping clubs for 20 years. I sincerely commend this book, "Karsten's Way," for it is above all, the story of a far-sighted pioneer, and an essential record of how he revolutionized golf with his exceptional passions.



4. If you are looking for a sermon on religion you have come to right place , but if you are looking for a great insight to the mind and workings of the greatest inovator in clubmaking ever....look somewhere else. this book is about 10% golf and 90% religious praise for this beloved man. Don't get me wrong I respect his devout beliefs but that could have been summed up in about 3 pages not 150. I never fealt that I got any info on how he came up with his great club Ideas, the ping website has better information.

2 comments about Triumphant Capitalism: Henry Clay Frick and the Industrial Transformation of America (History/Business History).

1. While this book is full of well researched information, the author seemed to forget that it also must be read and enjoyed. While the statistics included displayed knowledge on the part of the author, they made it extremely difficult to follow without reading each page over more than once. This book is a good source for further research, but not something to read casually.



2. Kenneth Warren managed to succeed where Samuel Schreiner seemed to fall flat. Henry Clay Frick was a man of many contradictions. Very insightful and well-written.

1 comments about The Marshall Fields: The Evolution of an American Business Dynasty.

1. This is intriguing read about one of the most powerful capitalists in the history of this country. For those who love to shop at Marshall Field, or those just interested in Gilded Age history, you must get read this book. This biography covers five generations of the fascinating Field family.

No comments about The Viewpoints of Stanley Marcus: A Ten-Year Perspective.

No comments about Nothing is Impossible: The Legend of Joe Hardy and 84 Lumber.

5 comments about Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie (Cosimo Classics Biography).

1. Born in Scotland but an immigrant to the United States as a teenager, Andrew Carnegie has been variously characterized as a "captain of industry" or a "robber baron" by those who have chronicled his rise to wealth and fame in the latter nineteenth century. After selling his steel company to J.P. Morgan at the turn of the century, Carnegie devoted himself to philanthropic goals. He gave away more than $350 million to various causes and endowed more than 250,000 libraries. His philanthropic activities were underpinned by a fundamental belief in the virtue of hard work, perseverance, and self-improvement through education, hence his emphasis on libraries and the endowing of other educational organizations. Fundamentally, this book offers a restatement of the "Horatio Alger" myth of the "American dream" of success through personal commitment. At the same time Carnegie seeks to pass on his wisdom gained through a lifetime of effort. A significant and fascinating statement of American industrial individualism that is required reading for all who wish to understand the history of the United States in the latter nineteenth century, Carnegie's autobiography also served as a model for many others to follow. Unfortunately, few achieved the success that Carnegie enjoyed despite the diligence they may have registered.



2. I'll admit that my primary motivation for reading this book was somewhat shallow--I basically wanted to read about how one of history's most successful businessmen amassed so much wealth. To be honest, the book didn't really give as many details as I would have liked on that particular interest. But what I got along the way made the book worth it.

   First and foremost, after reading 350 pages of Carnegie writing about his life you feel like you really start to know him, to get a sense of what kind of human being he was, and even to get a sense of his somewhat remarkable confidence level that exists in conjunction with his pretty inspiring level of benevolence and compassion. But I think even more than getting a sense of Carnegie, you get a sense of the time he lived in. Some of the most engaging parts of the book for me were the first-hand accounts of Lincoln during the Civil War, or Carnegie's conversations with President Harrison about a small uprising in Chile. You also hear about how he handled the strikes of steel workers, an occurence I'd only read about in history books but never learned directly about from the perspective of the manager.

   All throughout Carnegie peppers with his nuggets of wisdom, and you get the feeling he knows people want them really badly but that he chooses to give them sparingly.

   In the end, I probably will never re-read this book, but I feel better educated about one of history's greatest industrialists, greatest benefactors, and the time he lived in after having read it. If you have a nascent interest in history, you will most likely enjoy this book; if you're looking for a "how to make your millions" from a master, I would look elsewhere.




3. The vanity of today's uneducated society is breathtaking. White is black and black is white and 'a little knowledge' is indeed proving very dangerous. This book (along with the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin) should be read by every American citizen - to relearn what America once represented.

   For example, Carnegie Steel, the world's largest company in 1900, was NOT a corporation; it was a private partnership. The sale of the company to JP morgan (for half a billion dollars) was done on a handshake; a contract was a mere afterthought. Reputation and honesty and customer service were THE guiding principles of the era. 'Individual responsibility' was considered a good thing in those days.

   America now has more lawyers per capita than any other nation on Earth. Our politicians now attempt to micro-manage every detail of our lives. You break a fingernail and sue the universe. We have become terrified of freedom. Read this book if you want to understand how America rose from a third world country to a superpower between 1800 and 1900 - without government intervention or welfare or all the millions of rules and regulations we now hold so dear. We have traded away our freedom for security. The price is higher than you think.




4. It has been over a year since I ground my way through this book. My lack of adaptability to the Olde Worlde English may have contributed to this. I found this to be a long book about an interesting individual whose sole purpose for writing the book, I have concluded, was to leave a lasting, self-congratulatory reminder of his own life. I must disagree with a previous review that stated it was a must for any young ambitious person. I am; it wasn't.
   For sheer inspiration from another person's life, I would recommend works on Lincoln, the Wright brothers (Kill Devil Hill), Richard Branson, Edison, Spielberg, Mme Curie, Bruce Lee, Iacocca and Einstein.



5. This book was pracitically written for the ambitious young man, as there are many references to this. Mr. Carnegie serves as a great role model, which I feel is quite important, especially considering the terrible events in schools lately. Carnegie emphasizes the importance of self-improvement, knowing your talents, being kind, and also the importance of public speaking. You will learn important lessons thru personal anecdotes of his life. This book should be required reading for every adolescent attending high school.

1 comments about Jacob H. Schiff: A Study in American Jewish Leadership (Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture, and Life).

1. A window on an aspect of American Jewish history not as familiar as the mass immigration from eastern Europe, Cohen's book is also an unexpected window on an even less frequently explored topic: the use of great wealth to do good in the world. Schiff did not establish a foundation, screen grants, or hire professional advisors to guide his good works - he simply used his money to right wrongs where he saw them. Like giving half a million dollars to Barnard College as a reward for it's refusal to countenance discrimination against Jews. Or arranging mega-buck loans for the Japanese government during the Russo-Japanese War as a way of sticking it to the anti-Semitic Russians (who lost that war.) Not all of his ideas worked out, but you have to admire a man who had the courage of his convictions, and the character to put his money where his mouth was.

2 comments about The Best Coal Company in All Chicago, and How It Got That Way.

1. This book is a great rea for anyone who is interested in Chicago life in the 1920's. I thought that this book would be boring, but actually it is very interesting, especially the Genealogy section on Jacobs descendants.



2. A great history of a Chicago family from 1869 through 1963. The book tells how the Jacob Best family helped to shape the industrial growth of the "Miracle City."