Katherine Howe - Böcker

“Splendid. . . . haunting and beautifully written.”  — Washington PostThe #1 New York Times bestselling Gilded Age chronicle of the rise and fall of a legendary American dynasty, from CNN anchor and journalist Anderson Cooper and historian and novelist Katherine Howe.One of the Washington Post's Notable Works of NonfictionWhen eleven-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt began to work on his father’s small boat ferrying supplies in New York Harbor at the beginning of the nineteenth century, no one could have imagined that one day he would, through ruthlessness, cunning, and a pathological desire for money, build two empires—one in shipping and another in railroads—that would make him the richest man in America. His staggering fortune was fought over by his heirs after his death in 1877, sowing familial discord that would never fully heal. Though his son Billy doubled the money left by “the Commodore,” subsequent generations competed to find new and ever more extraordinary ways of spending it. By 2018, when the last Vanderbilt was forced out of The Breakers—the seventy-room summer estate in Newport, Rhode Island, that Cornelius’s grandson and namesake had built—the family would have been unrecognizable to the tycoon who started it all.Now, the Commodore’s great-great-great-grandson Anderson Cooper, joins with historian Katherine Howe to explore the riveting family saga of his legendary family and their outsized influence. Cooper and Howe breathe life into the ancestors who built the family’s empire, basked in the Commodore’s wealth, hosted lavish galas, and became synonymous with unfettered American capitalism and high society. Moving from the hardscrabble wharves of old Manhattan to the lavish drawing rooms of Gilded Age Fifth Avenue, from the ornate summer palaces of Newport to the courts of Europe, and all the way to modern-day New York, Cooper and Howe wryly recount the triumphs and tragedies of an American dynasty unlike any other.Written with a unique insider’s viewpoint, this compelling biography is a rollicking, quintessentially American history as remarkable as the family it so vividly captures.This riveting look at an American dynasty reveals:An American Dynasty's Rise and Fall: Follow Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt's ruthless journey from a small boat operator to the richest man in America, and witness how his heirs spent the staggering fortune into oblivion.Old Money vs. New Money: From the hardscrabble wharves of Manhattan to lavish Fifth Avenue drawing rooms and Newport summer palaces, explore the world of America's original new-money arrivistes.A Unique Insider's Viewpoint: Co-authored by Anderson Cooper, the Commodore's great-great-great-grandson, who brings a personal perspective to the triumphs and tragedies of his legendary family.Iconic New York History: Discover the story behind legendary landmarks like The Breakers and Grand Central Terminal, and the outsized influence the Vanderbilts had on New York City and the nation.

New York Times bestselling author and journalist Anderson Cooper teams with New York Times bestselling historian and novelist Katherine Howe to chronicle the rise and fall of a legendary American dynasty—his mother’s family, the Vanderbilts.One of the Washington Post's Notable Works of Nonfiction of 2021When eleven-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt began to work on his father’s small boat ferrying supplies in New York Harbor at the beginning of the nineteenth century, no one could have imagined that one day he would, through ruthlessness, cunning, and a pathological desire for money, build two empires—one in shipping and another in railroads—that would make him the richest man in America. His staggering fortune was fought over by his heirs after his death in 1877, sowing familial discord that would never fully heal. Though his son Billy doubled the money left by “the Commodore,” subsequent generations competed to find new and ever more extraordinary ways of spending it. By 2018, when the last Vanderbilt was forced out of The Breakers—the seventy-room summer estate in Newport, Rhode Island, that Cornelius’s grandson and namesake had built—the family would have been unrecognizable to the tycoon who started it all.Now, the Commodore’s great-great-great-grandson Anderson Cooper, joins with historian Katherine Howe to explore the story of his legendary family and their outsized influence. Cooper and Howe breathe life into the ancestors who built the family’s empire, basked in the Commodore’s wealth, hosted lavish galas, and became synonymous with unfettered American capitalism and high society. Moving from the hardscrabble wharves of old Manhattan to the lavish drawing rooms of Gilded Age Fifth Avenue, from the ornate summer palaces of Newport to the courts of Europe, and all the way to modern-day New York, Cooper and Howe wryly recount the triumphs and tragedies of an American dynasty unlike any other.Written with a unique insider’s viewpoint, this is a rollicking, quintessentially American history as remarkable as the family it so vividly captures.

A NPR Best Book of the YearThe number one New York Times bestselling authors of Vanderbilt return with another riveting history of a legendary American dynasty, the Astors, and how they built and lavished their fortune.The story of the Astors is a quintessentially American story—of ambition, invention, destruction, and reinvention.From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society.The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic, one of many shocking and unexpected twists in the family’s story.In this unconventional, page-turning historical biography and sweeping family saga, featuring black-and-white and color photographs, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe chronicle the lives of the Astors and explore what the Astor name has come to mean in America—offering 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.

A chilling, truly authoritative anthology of real-life accounts of witches, from medieval Europe through colonial AmericaFrom a manual for witch hunters written by King James himself in 1597, to court documents from the Salem witch trials of 1692, to newspaper coverage of a woman stoned to death on the streets of Philadelphia while the Continental Congress met, The Penguin Book of Witches is a treasury of historical accounts of accused witches that sheds light on the reality behind the legends. Bringing to life stories like that of Eunice Cole, tried for attacking a teenage girl with a rock and buried with a stake through her heart; Jane Jacobs, a Bostonian so often accused of witchcraft that she took her tormentors to court on charges of slander; and Increase Mather, an exorcism-performing minister famed for his knowledge of witches, this volume provides a unique tour through the darkest history of English and North American witchcraft.

From a New York Times-bestselling author comes this daring account of one woman's adventure among the most feared sea rovers of all time, perfect for fans of Kate Mosse and Jess Kidd'An absolute page turner, full of unexpected twists and turns.' Celia Rees, author of Pirates!She was one of the most terrifying seafarers of all time. This is her story.The Golden Age of Piracy is drawing to a close when Hannah Masury watches the public hanging of the infamous William Fly in a Boston town square. Rumours about the location of Fly's buried treasure are rampant, and when Hannah finds a clue as to where it might be hidden, she decides it's time to take the future into her own hands. Two centuries later in a dusty university archive, Professor Marian Beresford is captivated by Hannah's story and the many unanswered questions she left behind. Hannah was determined to take her secrets with her to the grave, but in Marian, she might finally have met her match. A True Account is the page-turning story of two women from two very different worlds, both shattering the rules of their own society, both willing to risk everything to forge their own adventure. 'A feast for the sea-loving senses.' Sarah Penner, author of The Lost Apothecary

From a New York Times-bestselling author comes this daring account of one woman's adventure among the most feared sea rovers of all time, perfect for fans of Kate Mosse and Jess Kidd'An absolute page turner, full of unexpected twists and turns.' Celia Rees, author of Pirates!She was one of the most terrifying seafarers of all time. This is her story.The Golden Age of Piracy is drawing to a close when Hannah Masury watches the public hanging of the infamous William Fly in a Boston town square. Rumours about the location of Fly's buried treasure are rampant, and when Hannah finds a clue as to where it might be hidden, she decides it's time to take the future into her own hands. Two centuries later in a dusty university archive, Professor Marian Beresford is captivated by Hannah's story and the many unanswered questions she left behind. Hannah was determined to take her secrets with her to the grave, but in Marian, she might finally have met her match. A True Account is the page-turning story of two women from two very different worlds, both shattering the rules of their own society, both willing to risk everything to forge their own adventure. 'A feast for the sea-loving senses.' Sarah Penner, author of The Lost Apothecary

It’s July in New York City, and aspiring filmmaker Wes Auckerman has just arrived to start his summer term at NYU. While shooting a séance at a psychic’s in the East Village, he meets a mysterious, intoxicatingly beautiful girl named Annie. As they start spending time together, Wes finds himself falling for her, drawn to her rose-petal lips and her entrancing glow. There’s just something about her that he can’t put his finger on, something faraway and otherworldly that compels him to fall even deeper. Annie’s from the city, and yet she seems just as out of place as Wes feels. Lost in the chaos of the busy city streets, she’s been searching for something—a missing ring. And now Annie is running out of time and needs Wes’s help. As they search together, Annie and Wes uncover secrets lurking around every corner, secrets that will reveal the truth of Annie’s dark past.