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."synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Praise for Geoffrey C. Ward's A Disposition to Be Rich
"Before Bernard Madoff, before Charles Ponzi, there was Ferdinand Ward. . . . Based on troves of letters and other memorabilia that Mr. Ward patiently amassed over many years, A Disposition to Be Rich is actually a family chronicle of sorts, in which Ferdinand is by no means the most demented ancestor. . . . [A] beguiling reminder that human nature doesn't change much from one Gilded Age to another."
--The Wall Street Journal
"A special accomplishment. . . . It took a great-grandson of Ferdinand's, the prizewinning historian Geoffrey C. Ward, to write the scandal-filled but eminently fair book that airs this dirty laundry . . . A most peculiar labor of love."
--The New York Times
Geoffrey C. Ward is the coauthor of The Civil War (with Ken Burns and Ric Burns), and the author of A First-Class Temperament: The Emergence of Franklin Roosevelt, which won the 1989 National Book Critics Circle Award for biography and the 1990 Francis Parkman Prize.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
£ 2.11
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 19212453-n
Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 0345804694-2-1
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0345804694-new
Book Description Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. A Disposition to Be Rich: Ferdinand Ward, the Greatest Swindler of the Gilded Age 0.97. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9780345804693
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # I-9780345804693
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A New York Times Notable BookThe compelling behind-the-scenes story of the greatest swindler of the Gilded Age, whose villainy bankrupted Ulysses S. Grant and stunned the world of financetold 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-grandfathers 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. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780345804693
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0345804694
Book Description Condition: New. . Seller Inventory # 52GZZZ01PB3L_ns
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0345804694
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0345804694