Astor

A NPR Best Book of the Year

The number oneNew York Timesbestselling authors ofVanderbiltreturn with anotherriveting history ofa legendary American dynasty, theAstors, and how they built and lavished their fortune.

The story of theAstorsis a quintessentially American storyof ambition, invention, destruction, and reinvention.

From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astors son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society.

The familyfortune,first madebyabeaver trapping business that grew into an empire,wasthen amplified by holdings inManhattanreal estate. Over the ensuing generations,AstorsruledGilded AgeNew York societyandinserted themselves into political and cultural life,but also suffered the mostfamous loss on theTitanic,one ofmany shocking and unexpected twists inthe familys story.

In this unconventional, page-turninghistorical biography and sweeping family saga, featuring black-and-white and color photographs,#1New York Timesbestselling authorsAnderson Cooper andKatherineHowechronicle the lives of theAstorsand explore what the Astor name has come to mean in Americaoffering a window onto the making of America itself.

This definitive work of American history reveals the ambition, glamour, and shocking betrayals of a family that shaped a nation:Gilded Age New York: Trace the family's rise from a beaver trapping empire to their undisputed reign over New York's high society, setting the rules for a nation's elite.Wealth and Power: Discover how a fortune built on fur and Manhattan real estate allowed the Astors to insert themselves into the fabric of American political and cultural life for generations.An American Dynasty: Follow the stunning ambition and shocking reinventions of the Astor family, from German immigrant John Jacob Astor in 1783 to the courtroom conviction of Brooke Astor's son in 2009.Famous Tragedies: Experience the family's most public moments, including the most famous loss on the Titanic, one of many unexpected twists in this true story.