Dolores Augustine, St. John's University, New York

'... a splendid and informative work of social history that calls orthodox views of the German economic elite in the Wilhelmine period into question. Her work is a fine combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis and presents a portrait of this important group in society that is as convincing in its evidence as it is fascinating in its detail.'Gerald D. Feldman, Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley'This is a highly interesting study on the very rich in the urban, industrial and financial world of Imperial Germany.'Hartmut Kaeble, Professor of Social History, Humboldt-University, Berlin'... a crisp, analytical collective biography of the financial elite in Wilhelmine Germany ... With firm primary research, extensive use of printed resources in English and German, comparative techniques, and imaginative analytical methodology, this work is an excellent model for subsequent social history research.'Choice'Professor Augustine has made a significan

• Profile of the Wilhelmine wealth elite; marriage; family life and power relations within the family; family solidarity, youthful rebellion and the sons' choice of profession; residential patterns, villas, and landed estates; wealthy business families in high society.