cover image Barons of Business

Barons of Business

William G. Scheller. Universe Publishing(NY), $60 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-88363-842-2

As a visual tourbook of conspicuous consumption, this large-scale coffee-table book takes the reader on a ride through various castles, lodges and pleasure domes built by the American aristocracy and nouveau riche. Many of the big business names are here--Vanderbilt, Astor, Frick. While Scheller, who has written many companions to television documentaries, offers the histories of these wealthy families, his big draw is the assemblage of 170 photos: J.P. Morgan's Madison Avenue home, Andrew Carnegie's Scottish retreat, Walt Disney's garden, and on to Steven Spielberg's Brentwood estate and Bill Gates' Lake Washington log cabin. The photo reproductions vary in quality, however, and as the book progresses from museum-piece houses to those currently inhabited, there are fewer views. The sheer density of the wealth on display is mind-boggling; whether readers salivate or cringe at the opulence, many will be awestruck by the double-decker libraries, the vaulted ceilings, the reflecting pools, and most of all, the sumptuous surrounding real estate.