Vanderbilts Book

In The Vanderbilts the family's astounding story is told in full: from the farmstead beginnings of the Commodore on Staten Island to the pinnacle of wealth, fame, and social standing achieved by the legendary Vanderbilt ladies: Consuelo, Alva, Grace, Gertrude, and Gloria. The text traces the commercial machinations that established their fortune and the Vanderbilt mania for house building that engaged some of America's finest designers and architects.

More than 200 pictures reveal the striking personalities of this extraordinary family and the glittering interiors in which they led their fabled lives. Their art treasures are beautifully reproduced in color; and pictured, too, are many of the press photos that kept the Vanderbilts in the public eye. Genealogical charts and a map showing the "Vanderbilt Country" of old New York are included as well. All in all, it is an epic story, clearly chronicled and dazzlingly portrayed.

241 illustrations, 92 in full-color, 1 map, 304 pages, 8-5/8 x 11-1/2"