| A Disposition to Be Rich: Ferdinand Ward, the Greatest Swindler of the Gilded Age Contributor(s): Ward, Geoffrey C. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0345804694 ISBN-13: 9780345804693 Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group OUR PRICE: $20.90 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: April 2013 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Criminals & Outlaws - Business & Economics | Economic History - History | United States - 19th Century |
| Dewey: B |
| Physical Information: 1" H x 5.1" W x 7.9" (0.97 lbs) 464 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Geographic Orientation - New York - Locality - New York, N.Y. - Cultural Region - Mid-Atlantic - Cultural Region - Northeast U.S. |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: A New York Times Notable Book The compelling behind-the-scenes story of the greatest swindler of the Gilded Age, whose villainy bankrupted Ulysses S. Grant and stunned the world of finance--told by his great-grandson, award-winning historian Geoffrey C. Ward. Ferdinand Ward, the son of a Protestant missionary and small-town pastor, moved to New York at twenty-one and, in less than a decade, made himself the business partner of a former president and established himself as the "Young Napoleon of Finance." In truth, he was running a massive pyramid scheme. Drawing from thousands of family documents never before examined, Geoffrey C. Ward traces his great-grandfather's rapid rise to riches and fame, and his even more dizzying fall from grace, in a narrative populated with mistresses, crooked bankers, corrupt New York officials, and a desperate kidnapping scheme. Here is a great story about a classic American con artist. |