1 comments about Roots of the Rich and Famous.

1. On page 30 the author reveals a "well-kept secret". JFK's first wife was Malcom Durie. His father Joseph P. Kennedy had enough money to squelch information about this marriage. It is doubtful that even Jackie knew. (I can guarantee you that Nixon did not know.)

   Yet, on the Internet, I could find no search results on any of these things. Still, this is an interesting book. The author was an attorney with the Justice Department so his revelation should have some validitity.

1 comments about On Green Spring Farm: The Life and Times of One Family in Fairfax County, Virginia, 1942-1966.

1. Green Spring Farm is nine miles south of Washington, DC, and is a colonial era manor house complete with a garden and surrounded by a public park operated by the Fairfax Country Park Authority. Scores of volunteers work with the Green Spring Farm staff and thousands of visitors each year admire the garden and landscaping. On Green Spring Farm: The Life And Times Of One Family In Fairfax County, Virginia 1942-1966 is an impressive and memorable anthology of anecdotal vignettes which based upon original journal entries which aptly portray the true stories of an ordinary family whose history and individual lives had a lasting impact on everyone around them. A number of notable individuals appear in these historical anecdotes ranging from Dean Acheson (Secretary of State); to Ralph Bunche (Nobel Peace Prize winner); to Felix Frankurter (U.S. Supreme Court Justice); to John F. Kennedy (U.S. President); to J.RR. Tolkien (author and academician); among a host of others. A thoroughly heartwarming and eclectic collection, featuring everything from stories of family pets to vacations, illnesses, and eyebrow-raising exploits, On Green Spring Farm is unique, personally rewarding, and very highly recommended reading.

1 comments about Poor Man's Philanthropist: The Thomas Cannon Story.

1. Thomas Cannon's story is one that should inspire everyone to be more generous with their time and money. There's no shortage of stories about people who went from rags to riches, and this is not one of them. Instead, this is about a man who didn't mind rags and gave away the riches. His life example challenges us to reflect on what we really need to be happy, and shows us just how much happiness can be gained from freely giving to others.

No comments about Elusive Rothschild: The Life of Victor, Third Baron.

4 comments about Looking for Jackie: American Fashion Icons.

1. O! Can't poor Jackie O ever finally rest in peace? Now comes author Kathleen Caughwell-Varda's photo-packed coffeetable book that spends too many pages "looking" for the women who, like Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis, broke barriers and influenced their eras, from the 1800s to the present. The relatively unknown are here (Julia Gardiner Tyler, Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte) as well as the essentials (Crawford, Swanson, Kelly.) Yawning yet? Save the money and go buy a pillbox hat.



2. Ms.Varda's book is one of the most beautiful books on fashion I've ever beheld. The essays on women, from Betsy Bonaparte to Alice Roosevelt, are fascinating and elegantly written. The illustrations are gorgeous(full-page facsimiles of paintings,wonderful photographs).This would make a fantastic gift for anyone interested in women's studies, as well as fashion.



3. After reading this book, I feel that I have a better understanding of the complexities surrounding the female icon, whether it be modern,victorian, or beyond. Craughwell-Varda tapped into a well that until now, I did not appreciate. A wonderful book, with spectacular illustrations.



4. Using glamorous photos, paintings, letters and anecdotes, Craughwell-Varda has turned out a winner of a book on American fashion icons: Jackie, Dolley Madison, the Duchess of Windsor. The author deftly mixes juicy details-Julia Gardener Tyler was a shopaholic-with intellectual discourse on how the way these women dressed changed politics, movies and fashion. A great gift for your favorite fashionista, and a coffee-table book that shows brains as well as beauties.

No comments about They Said It Couldn't Be Done:: The Incredible Story of Bill Lear.

3 comments about Unintended Consequences.

1. Reviewed by Carol Hoyer for Reader Views (6/08)
   
   Byron Church provides an easy-read account of his life of ups and downs in Colorado. At the time the Church's were living in Colorado, it was the hot spot for treatment of tuberculosis.
   
   Mr. Church talks of his first real estate ventures that didn't work out and how he made some enemies in the community he lived. But he had dreams and knew if he socialized with the right people and marketed his properties the right way he would make it.
   
   In "Unintended Consequences: A Memoir" he talks about his time as a teacher at the extension center at the University of Colorado. Not qualified to be a teacher, he nonetheless accepted the assignment and found he learned so much from his students. During this time, he also began writing practical-advice articles for journals.
   
   "Unintended Consequences: A Memoir" is interesting book that shows all of us that with determination and a good plan we can reach our goals.



2. I choose to read a book to experience positive feelings and/or for a learning experience. My intentions were realized when I experienced an aray of emotions throughout the reading of Byron Church's book, UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. The joy of learning more about the beautiful and vibrant city of Colorado Springs; the laughter from humor found within different chapters; and the intelectual stimulation of good or bad business decisions based on experince and vision, all were found in this inspiring book.
   Really good books are worth reading for a second time. This book remains close at hand for a second reading.



3. This is a very enjoyable book and a highly recommended read! In particular, the passages about the author's relationship with heirs to the H.L. Hunt fortune are much more than just entertaining. For those who are unaware of the history of H.L. Hunt, in 1946 Life magazine asked the question: "Is He The Richest Man in the World?" Hunt was a legendary oil figure.

1 comments about Lord Beaverbrook.

1. He wasn't physically large, but his physical presence was never in question. His horizons were endless, but he had the drive and ambition to strive to reach them all. Max Aitken's story reads like a modern fairy tale, but the people and circumstances are real. From a Newcastle, New Brunswick childhood, during which his ability to maneuver people for his own ends was manifested early on, Max rose to become a Peer of the Realm, much to the distress of several of the other peers. At the same time he had become the most influential newspaperman in the world. All this before the age of forty!
   
   David Adams Richards was the ideal choice to portray Max. As a novelist, his approach to Aitken's life bears an intimacy few historians possess. A native of Beaverbrook's home town, he has a fine writer's touch for bringing Max Aitken to life. The author's style is well-tuned to the personality of his subject. Aitken's career seems to have left him little time for reflection, there was always something else to accomplish.
   
   Aitken's drive for success emerged early - he started a newspaper at 13. After a short term as an office boy in a law office, he moved to Halifax, where he came under the tutelage of John Stairs, who taught him financial matters. A somewhat shady business affair led him to leave Canada for Britain. There, he moved upward with amazing speed to earn a Knighthood in 1911. The outbreak of WWI prompted the Canadian government to put him in charge of an archive of Canadian activities in the conflict. Not a record-keeper, Max used the role to promote Canada's role in the war. Before the Armistice was signed, Max Aitken had become Lord Beaverbrook - title taken from the region near his home.
   
   In the interwar years Aitken had his foot in two, related realms. Intelligence and propaganda were closely related in those days. But his other interest lay with the newspaper business, and his takeover of the 'Express" papers rejuvenated the chain. Among other causes it promoted was Free Trade among the members of the British Empire. As a Canadian, Max had suffered a good many snubs and sneers for being a "Colonial", but his wish for equal status really was based on economic issues. The culmination of all these activities, of course, was the appointment of newspaper baron Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, to being in charge of aircraft production shortly after the breakout of WWII. How incongruous - a publisher doing manufacturing? On reflection, the answer is dead easy. Aircraft production requires organisation and management skills. Max Aitken had demonstrated such abilities from an early age. This is a little giant of a book about a little giant of a man. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

No comments about Sugar Baron: Manuel Rionda and the Fortunes of Pre-Castro Cuba.

No comments about Charlotte and Lionel: A Rothschild Love Story.