Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty
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- Create Date：2022-10-01 10:51:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Anderson Cooper
- ISBN：0062964623
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Summary
Now in paperback， the #1 New York Times bestselling 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 Nonfiction
When 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。
One of the Washington Post's Notable Works of Nonfiction
When 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。
Reviews
GRAHAM MARTIN
，
How the Vanderbilt dynasty collapsedAnderson Cooper writes can out the rise and mainly falls of the Vanderbilt s。 Personally I would have enjoyed the book more if it would have talked more in detail of the Commodore and Andersons mother and less about Newport yacht racing and the Gilded Age society
MKL
，
Vanderbilt history raw and unvarnished。Everything I wanted it to be and more。 A look back at the good， bad and everything in between。 A fast engrossing read for me。
Baran Ekici
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https://lifyum。com/ https://lifyum。com/ 。。。more
Peggy Kruger
，
Overall， I really enjoyed this book。 Granted， it got a bit bogged down at times。 I’m not sure why an entire chapter was devoted to the World’s Cup， for instance。 However， I’m glad I hung in there as I enjoyed how the authors wrapped things up—going to present day locations to visit the “ghosts” of the opulent past。 How the excesses of these super rich were unsustainable。 It speaks to how the accumulation of stuff and status is never soul satisfying，how we all crave love and connection， and how w Overall， I really enjoyed this book。 Granted， it got a bit bogged down at times。 I’m not sure why an entire chapter was devoted to the World’s Cup， for instance。 However， I’m glad I hung in there as I enjoyed how the authors wrapped things up—going to present day locations to visit the “ghosts” of the opulent past。 How the excesses of these super rich were unsustainable。 It speaks to how the accumulation of stuff and status is never soul satisfying，how we all crave love and connection， and how we all exit this life through the same door。 。。。more
Fred
，
I gave it three stars for writing by the authors。 i would give one or two stars for the Vanderbilt family。 The Commodore and his son amassed a fortune， and the subsequent families wasted it away。
PottWab Regional Library
，
SM
SEY
，
Listening to Anderson Cooper's voice， telling the story of the Vanderbilt family his mother descended from was unexpectedly intriuging。 The history of the men from the "commodore" plying his trade on a small sailing vessel from Staten Island， to a real Commodore of the NY Yacht Club and then the women who built the Breakers in Newport， RI and to those the most incredible costume balls NYC has ever seen before or since。 Material culture and social history at its best。 This is a fascinating well-r Listening to Anderson Cooper's voice， telling the story of the Vanderbilt family his mother descended from was unexpectedly intriuging。 The history of the men from the "commodore" plying his trade on a small sailing vessel from Staten Island， to a real Commodore of the NY Yacht Club and then the women who built the Breakers in Newport， RI and to those the most incredible costume balls NYC has ever seen before or since。 Material culture and social history at its best。 This is a fascinating well-researched tale。 One would expect no less from an award winning journalist。 Everything is put in perspective。 The bread lines were long， the parties went on all night。 The acquisition of money was everything to these people， but it did not bring them happiness。 Cooper supported the last Vanderbuilt， Gloria， his mom， till the end of her life， but oh what a life！ 。。。more
Megan
，
Very interestng！
Benjamin Rubenstein
，
I got 13% into this， and I'm good。 This reads like those stories that end nightly news， which is to say contrived。 And I guess I now realize that I just don't care about the Vanderbilts， even though I， like I imagine else， likes me some Anderson Cooper。 I got 13% into this， and I'm good。 This reads like those stories that end nightly news， which is to say contrived。 And I guess I now realize that I just don't care about the Vanderbilts， even though I， like I imagine else， likes me some Anderson Cooper。 。。。more
Lynn Jeppi
，
I’ll agree that the first chapters were a SLO GO; but because it was the assigned book for my Book Club I felt the need to persevere to what I mistakenly thought was “the bitter end”。About 1/3 of the way in， things started to pick up， and I was glad I persevered。Also it closely mirrored an HBO presentation The Gilded Age…recommended by a friend in my Book Club。; which was riveting！
Minou Jolie
，
interesting and well written。
Veronica Sholl
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I didn't care for the writing。 I didn't care for the writing。 。。。more
Debbie Roberts
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"Vanderbilt" by Anderson Cooper。 Cooper -- whose famous mom was Gloria Vanderbilt， outlines the Vanderbilt family -- the personalities， the riches， the conspicious consumption， as well as the unhappiness。 Overall a good read。 A couple of areas he went into far more detail that I found tedious -- like pages of one and his yacht racing。 But overall， it showed the foibles of a family who sought not only wealth with unabashed greediness， but the desire to belong and be loved。 "Vanderbilt" by Anderson Cooper。 Cooper -- whose famous mom was Gloria Vanderbilt， outlines the Vanderbilt family -- the personalities， the riches， the conspicious consumption， as well as the unhappiness。 Overall a good read。 A couple of areas he went into far more detail that I found tedious -- like pages of one and his yacht racing。 But overall， it showed the foibles of a family who sought not only wealth with unabashed greediness， but the desire to belong and be loved。 。。。more
Caren
，
I listened to this book on audio mostly because Anderson Cooper read it。 As a frequent visitor of Rhode Island and going through the various mansions on tours， I always find myself compelled to learn more about the families who built them and the lives they led back in the Gilded Age。 I loved the details that Cooper includes about his family's history and their rise to fame and fortune from Cornelius Vanderbilt's early life。 The fact that he is sort of the gatekeeper of the family history is fas I listened to this book on audio mostly because Anderson Cooper read it。 As a frequent visitor of Rhode Island and going through the various mansions on tours， I always find myself compelled to learn more about the families who built them and the lives they led back in the Gilded Age。 I loved the details that Cooper includes about his family's history and their rise to fame and fortune from Cornelius Vanderbilt's early life。 The fact that he is sort of the gatekeeper of the family history is fascinating; so much so， that I bought the book so I can read it again and look at the pictures he included in the book version。 I recommend this book really to anyone who enjoys reading detailed history。 I never get bored imagining "what it was like。" 。。。more
Katie
，
I'm LOVING Anderson Cooper's new podcast about the loss of his mother， which is what interested me in this book。 This was way too much detail about people and things I care too little about。 （Yacht races？ Ugh。） I listened to this and the fact that Anderson read it was the saving grace。 I'm LOVING Anderson Cooper's new podcast about the loss of his mother， which is what interested me in this book。 This was way too much detail about people and things I care too little about。 （Yacht races？ Ugh。） I listened to this and the fact that Anderson read it was the saving grace。 。。。more
Madeline
，
A chronicle of one of the oldest New Money families in American history， Vanderbilt is less of a straightforward history and more of a series of anecdotes from the family's centuries-long reign in the highest ranks of the 1% - in other words， Anderson Cooper spends the better part of this book taking us through the greatest hits of his family's history。 These run the gamut from interesting if dry， like the death of the patriarch Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt and the ensuing battle over his wi A chronicle of one of the oldest New Money families in American history， Vanderbilt is less of a straightforward history and more of a series of anecdotes from the family's centuries-long reign in the highest ranks of the 1% - in other words， Anderson Cooper spends the better part of this book taking us through the greatest hits of his family's history。 These run the gamut from interesting if dry， like the death of the patriarch Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt and the ensuing battle over his will; to the genuinely fascinating， like the contentious and complicated relationship between Alva Eskine Smith and her daughter Consuelo Vanderbilt （and honestly I would read an entire separate book about Consuelo's doomed， forced marriage to the Duke of Malborough）。 And then there's a chapter that does nothing except give us a blow-by-blow description of a yacht race that one of the Vanderbilts competed in， a section so baffling dull and inconsequential that I kept flipping ahead and wondering when Cooper was going to stop talking about sailing。 Also there's a chapter about Truman Capote， whose only connection to the Vanderbilt's is his friendship with Anderson Cooper's mother， Gloria Vanderbilt。 It's a stretch， to say the least。Still， I was entertained and was enjoying this inside look into one of America's most famous families （and probably getting the inside scoop on the next three seasons of The Gilded Age）， but where the book starts to kind of go off the rails is when it comes time for Cooper to delve into her mother's personal history。 On one hand， this is the strongest section of the book， because of his close connection to the subject。 But Cooper has chosen， confusingly， to frame his mother's story around a made-for-TV movie about her childhood that aired in the 1970's。 I had never even heard of this show， and I'd bet that most people reading this book haven't either， but man are Anderson Cooper and his mom mad about it！ As far as they're concerned， the show was watched by everyone and was huge in the popular consciousness （and Gloria Vanderbilt was so furious about the inaccuracies that she broke off her friendship with one of the actors who appeared in the movie）。 This weird fixation on a stupid TV movie that I don't think anyone outside the family even cared about was distracting and odd， and gave the final chapters of Vanderbilt an unpleasant "so what？" aftertaste。 Interesting and informative， but if anything， you should approach this book as merely an introduction to the Vanderbilt dynasty， and use the bibliography at the end to find better sources。 。。。more
Kerry
，
I don’t rate non-fiction because， well， it feels wrong to judge someone else’s true story。 However， I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook which was well narrated by Anderson Cooper who， whether he wants to be associated with the name or not， is himself a Vanderbilt。 I find the gilded age fascinating and learning more about this family did not disappoint with it’s wasteful expenditure and the broken limbs on it’s family tree。
Emily Wallace
，
*Not for School*I listened to the audible version。 It was very interesting。 It covers the Vanderbilt's from the beginnings to current。 *Not for School*I listened to the audible version。 It was very interesting。 It covers the Vanderbilt's from the beginnings to current。 。。。more
Mell
，
3。5 stars for this engaging read by Cooper and Howe。 The book has a conversational tone， which is fitting for a biography co-written by a historian/novelist and a journalist。 I especially like the last two chapters， which reflect a comprehensive and 21st century perspective of how the Vanderbilt legacy played out and how NYC has changed since the Gilded Age。 The lives of the Vanderbilts are strangely compelling。 Cooper doesn't shy away from truths- Vanberbilts and their spouses were active parti 3。5 stars for this engaging read by Cooper and Howe。 The book has a conversational tone， which is fitting for a biography co-written by a historian/novelist and a journalist。 I especially like the last two chapters， which reflect a comprehensive and 21st century perspective of how the Vanderbilt legacy played out and how NYC has changed since the Gilded Age。 The lives of the Vanderbilts are strangely compelling。 Cooper doesn't shy away from truths- Vanberbilts and their spouses were active participants in the American institution of slavery， Anderson's mother spent money like it was endless， and talking about suicide of a loved one is difficult。The Vanderbilt saga is like an Aesop tale in demonstrating that money doesn't equal happiness and can enable excess， thrill seeking， and intense pressure。 I kept thinking of other big， wealthy families and the similar ways that large inheritances and public fame enabled bad behavior and/or inflicted family tragedy and lawsuits （Kennedys， DuPonts。） This book scoured family papers and memoirs， newspapers， and other sources that provide vivid details。 Also， Katherine Howe wrote a book I read a few years ago and really liked！ （The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane） 。。。more
Robbin Henson
，
I love Anderson Cooper！ About him and his mother and his legacy。
Carla
，
I found this book fascinating。 It boggles my mind how money is the motor that drives peoples ambitions。 I never was interested in knowing about this group of people but I am now…。 Fascinating time。 I need to go back to New York
Matt Bennett
，
In this short and engaging quasi-history of the Vanderbilt side of his family， Anderson Cooper paints an effective portrait of what like was life for the ultra-wealthy of the Gilded Age and for their progeny。 The subtitle might as well have been "Money can't buy you love or happiness，" as almost everyone in his family tree （other， presumably， than him） ends up miserable。At times， he offers up a bit too much color - I could have done without 5，000 words on the flowers at the party of the century In this short and engaging quasi-history of the Vanderbilt side of his family， Anderson Cooper paints an effective portrait of what like was life for the ultra-wealthy of the Gilded Age and for their progeny。 The subtitle might as well have been "Money can't buy you love or happiness，" as almost everyone in his family tree （other， presumably， than him） ends up miserable。At times， he offers up a bit too much color - I could have done without 5，000 words on the flowers at the party of the century his great grandmother threw - but the details do help to give richness to all the richness。 Bottom line is that growing up Vanderbilt looked great from the outside， but for those inside， it mostly was pretty terrible。 。。。more
Kellie Mckee
，
Wish it dug into how they lost so much of their money， but so much interesting information I didn't know！ Wish it dug into how they lost so much of their money， but so much interesting information I didn't know！ 。。。more
Gary
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#2022 - 43。 Audiobook。 Interesting and inciteful as it relates to the Vanderbilt history but far too much info on other happenings of that time that doesn’t add to the Vanderbilt story
Laurie
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Sad and interesting
Amy
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Probably the worst book I’ve read in a few years。 The hypocrisy is so over the top that it’s suffocating。 Okay we get the author wants to make a huge outlandish point of separating himself from the Vanderbilt family tree。 Yet at the same time he wants to use it to promote his credibility to write this book。 Just another person working on dividing people and trying to justify it。 Promoting us against them mentality is exhausting。 （wealthy vs everyone else）。 News flash: lots of people squander mon Probably the worst book I’ve read in a few years。 The hypocrisy is so over the top that it’s suffocating。 Okay we get the author wants to make a huge outlandish point of separating himself from the Vanderbilt family tree。 Yet at the same time he wants to use it to promote his credibility to write this book。 Just another person working on dividing people and trying to justify it。 Promoting us against them mentality is exhausting。 （wealthy vs everyone else）。 News flash: lots of people squander money buying things they can’t afford and don’t need， it’s just at different income levels。 If you really want to learn about the Vanderbilt pass on this one。 。。。more
Betty
，
Great book， great narration。It was a very personal look into the lives of the Vanderbilts and their rise and fall as an American dynasty。
Kristen Finnegan
，
As someone who vacationed in Newport every year as a kid， and would frequently visit Marble Mouse， the Astors’ Beechwood， and the Breakers， I didn’t learn anything that I didn’t already know about from going on those tours。 I really hoped that I would be more emotionally invested in this book because I am familiar with the family’s story， but I found it to be dry。
Jan
，
Audio book。
Celeste
，