Fortune's Children

Fortune's Children by Vanderbilt, Arthur T., II. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780688103866.

For fans of Downton Abbey, a real-life American version of the Crawley family—Fortunes Children is an enthralling true story that recreates the drama, splendor, and wealth of the legendary Vanderbilts. Vanderbilt: The very name is synonymous with the Gilded Age. The family patriarch, "the Commodore,” built a fortune that made him the worlds richest man by 1877. Yet, less than fifty years after his death, no Vanderbilt was counted among the worlds richest people. Written by descendant Arthur T. Vanderbilt II, Fortunes Children traces the dramatic and amazingly colorful history of this great American family, from the rise of industrialist and philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt to the fall of his progeny—wild spendthrifts whose profligacy bankrupted a vast inheritance.