What it was like to be as rich as Rockefeller: How a house gave shape and meaning to three generations of an iconic American familyOne hundred years ago Americas richest man established a dynastic seat; the granite-clad Kykuit; high above the Hudson River. Though George Vanderbilts 255-room Biltmore had recently put the American country house on the money map; John D. Rockefeller; who detested ostentation; had something simple in mind—at least until his son John Jr. and his charming wife; Abby; injected a spirit of noblesse oblige into the equation. Built to honor the senior Rockefeller; the house would also become the place above all others that anchored the familys memories. There could never be a better picture of the Rockefellers and their ambitions for the enormous fortune Senior had settled upon them. The authors take us inside the house and the family to observe a century of building and rebuilding—the ebb and flow of events and family feelings; the architecture and furnishings; the art and the gardens. A complex saga; The House the Rockefellers Built is alive with surprising twists and turns that reveal the tastes of a large family often sharply at odds with one another about the fortune the house symbolized.
#3581207 in eBooks 2007-05-01 2013-06-01File Name: B00E92RZ6W
Review
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Brilliant and InfuriatingBy Mr. NowhereThe film criticism of Andrew Britton is by turns wondrously insightful and infuriatingly ideological. He can brilliantly skewer academic cant in one passage and in another indulge in it himself.Hes worth reading for the brilliant stuff; however -- a very important critic who will get you thinking.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Buyer Beware!By Tony WilliamsDespite the advertising promotion this book does not contain the Complete Criticism of Andrew Britton nor does it nor does it contain "all" his essays - despite the publishers description. After very critical reviews by Brad Stevens of SIGHT AND SOUND and others; I was under the impression that a second revised edition would be appearing. Apparently not. So it is important to warn potential buyers over the defects of this edition. First; it is not complete lacking the full version of Brittons critique of Paul Willemans Edinburgh Film Festival monograph essay on PURSUED. The full version appeared in FRAMEWORK. By contrast; Grant used the severely edited version that appeared in THE MOVIE BOOK OF WESTERNS. In view of Andrews scathing critique of Lacan; shamefully ignored by the academic establishment today (as Robin Wood often pointed out) publishing this truncated version is both an insult and an attack on the legacy of one of Britains greatest film critics. The lack of Andrews essay on Documentary Film and Humphrey Jennings in particular is also a glaring absence. So too is the republication of an article from cineACTION that ignores the corrections Andrew posted to the editors responsible for incompetent proof-reading amidst allthe other problems.Grant has the arrogance to put his name on the cover. At least Max Brod remained in the background when he brought out Kafkas writings. The association of Britton with Grant is equivalent to teaming a giant with an intellectual midget and he should have remained in the background since his editing leaves much to be desired. Readers are thus advised to seek out the original publications (not too difficult) rather than read this collection which should be withdrawn from the market and pulped until a more critically responsible second edition appears under the editorship of somebody other than Barry K. Grant who has done an extreme disservice to scholarship both with his incompetent editing and by the use of the misleading term "complete."