Book Description

This acclaimed biography of the Gilded Age’s Queen of Wall Street is “a must-read for all aspiring moguls” (Regina Herzlinger, Harvard Business School). When J. P. Morgan called a meeting of New York's financial leaders after the stock market crash of 1907, Hetty Green was the only woman in the room. The Guinness Book of World Records memorialized her as the World's Greatest Miser, and, indeed, this unlikely robber baron—who parlayed a comfortable inheritance into a fortune that was worth about 1.6 billion in today's dollars—was frugal to a fault. But in an age when women weren't even allowed to vote, never mind concern themselves with interest rates, she lived by her own rules. In Hetty, Charles Slack reexamines her life and legacy, giving us, at long last, a splendidly “nuanced portrait” (Newsweek) of one of the greatest—and most eccentric—financiers in American history. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more. “[Hetty’s] wry wit and colorful personality bring humor and pathos to this story. . . . [R]eaders cannot help from cheering for her at every turn.” —Booklist “An exemplary retelling for a new generation.” —Kirkus Reviews “Entertaining. . . . Slack . . . concentrates on telling a good story and telling it well.” —Publishers Weekly “Wonderfully detailed.” —Forbes “Page-turning.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch “Fascinating.” —New York Post