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Harper

Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty

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“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. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper


Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 21, 2021


Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 336 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062964615


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 18


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.09 x 9 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #66,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in History of Railroads #15 in Biographies of Business & Industrial Professionals #31 in Rich & Famous Biographies


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Very interesting book!
Format: Hardcover
Absolutely great read!
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2026 by Twila
    • An Entertaining And Eminently Readable Family History
Format: Kindle
This is not a complete history of the Vanderbilt dynasty. It’s a series of vignettes of key family members, each focused around a defining moment in his or her life. That said, it offers an excellent overview of how the family got rich, lived their lives, and ultimately disappeared from the public eye. Cooper brings a personal touch to the story, especially in the last couple of chapters dealing with his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt. There was a bit too much about decorations and architecture and dress in the sections on the Gilded Age for my taste, but I’m sure a lot of readers will love all that detail. All in all, a very readable book with a lot of interesting, sometimes amusing and sometimes tragic stories about a lot of very rich people. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2025 by R. Jones
    • Good quality
Format: Paperback
It was in very good condition for a used book. I have purchased from this vendor many times and have never been disappointed
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2026 by Maria Babcock
    • Not bad; not quite what I was hoping for
Format: Audiobook
I bought and listened to the Audible version all the way through. Before I listened, I knew basically nothing about the Vanderbilts, aside from they were an old wealthy family and that Gloria sold jeans (though I actually had not made the connection between the old family and Gloria until the book). Pros: - Cooper is, not surprisingly, a great narrator. Clear and polished without being affected. - The book delivered to some extent on its title, describing the rise and fall of the dynasty, though emphasizing the fall. - Certainly I know more about the Vanderbilts than I did before the book and have some sense of their place in history. Cons: - The book did not pay nearly enough attention to how the money was made. Basically, we hear a lot about how Commodore Cornelius got his start, which was great, but not how he built an empire. How people make money is important. Was it hard work and smart decisions? What were those decisions? Management style? How did the transition into railroads work? Who were other important people in the businesses? Was he a straight shooter or slimy? Is there a "great crime" behind the great fortune? And then, we get to BIlly, his primary heir, who in eight years *doubled* what was already the country's largest fortune, but *nothing* about how he made that happen (or whether he lucked into it). From there we hear little about the Vanderbilt involvement with the railroad, even though they seemed to be at least a little involved. Basically, if you're going to present the rise and fall of a dynasty, spend at least as much time talking about how it was created (the hard part) as you do about how it was dissipated. - The book involves a lot of time travel, with flashbacks, forward, sideways. It does this at both a chapter level and within the chapters. It was incredibly hard to follow at times, especially since I had not heard of any of these people before. This, along with sometimes not naming the people being talked about until well into a story, was completely unhelpful. The stories themselves are frequently dramatic, and they don't need these devices to make them so. - Way too much detail about flowers at parties, attire, and home furnishings. It worked for Edith Wharton but not so well here. - Way too many details that are speculative. "He would have felt the ..." It seemed like there was an attempt at literary fiction here - it didn't succeed for me. - Why was there an entire chapter about Truman Capote? I get that he and Gloria were friends, but that doesn't seem to me to justify an entire chapter, or if it does, the chapter should be mostly about their relationship, and not a mini-biography of his rise and fall. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2023 by DJ
    • A Fascinating Story!
Format: Kindle
Ever since I toured Marble House in the early 80s I've been strangely fascinated with the Vanderbilt family. I'm pleasantly surprised at the historical detail of this book and never knew how exciting yacht racing could be! The book, to me, reads like a novel, with adjectives to make every scene come to life! What a varied and intriguing family. Since NYC is my favorite city, I especially enjoyed the history and characters. I had always heard the name, Truman Capote, but I didn't know who he was until now. This book explains why he's so famous, or, infamous. I definitely recommend this book if you're at all interested in the Vanderbilt's. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2025 by ANGEL
    • An insider’s genealogical history of the Vanderbilts
Format: Kindle
This book provides a bit of an insider’s perspective that sets it apart from other histories about the fabled Vanderbilt family. It’s written by famed journalist Anderson Cooper, who is himself part of the Vanderbilt family. Cooper doesn’t provide a glossy romanticized version of his family’s story. The family had tremendous wealth (at one point, their financial founder, Cornelius Vanderbilt, was the wealthiest man in the world). Yet, while unfathomable wealth was at the family’s disposal, profligate, uncontrollable spending over the generations has dissipated the family fortunes nearly entirely. For example in just six generations (and in some lines less) the money is largely gone. Yet, when one is a Vanderbilt, I suspect that connection and financial resources are available that the typical person doesn’t have access to. If you pick up this book thinking it will be a thorough family history, you’ll be mistaken. Instead, Cooper highlights family members from each generation to recount an aspect of their story, but all done to show the early rise and eventual fall of family fortunes. From that perspective this book is uniquely interesting. If you crave a more traditional history of the family, I recommend Fortune’s Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt by Arthur T. Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt family history is interwoven throughout much of US history. But its financial decline also is part of that story as well. As Cooper shows from his insider perspective, great wealth is nearly impossible to sustain over many generations. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2025 by Kelley Ridings
    • Not just about the Vanderbilts
Format: Kindle
This book is as much about New York City as it is about the Vanderbilts. I admit that I never before thought about what stood on the site of the Empire State Building before it was built. While I knew about Wall Street and the wall it was named after, I never gave a thought to who actually built it. I could have gone to my grave knowing little about the Vanderbilts; I don't care about them any more than they care about me. Yet the story is a fascinating one. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2026 by M. Fineman
    • Book has the photo insets section upside down.
Format: Paperback
The book arrived with the photo insets upside down. Is this book a second.? Did the seller know this?
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2026 by Sandra Fox

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