BILLIONAIRE - Hardcover

Fallon, Ivan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 009174380X ISBN 13: 9780091743802

Publisher: Random House UK, 1991

Synopsis

The saga of one of the world's wealthiest men describes his lifestyle at his estate along the Mexican coast and tells how his shrewd business sense saved his investments from the crash of 1987

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Reviews

Familiarity, it seems, does not always breed contempt. Veteran British journalist Fallon (The Brothers, 1989, etc.) quite admires Sir James Michael Goldsmith--and it shows in this detailed, if often deferential, biography of the Anglo-French tycoon. Fallon secured the cooperation of his combative, colorful subject, thereby gaining access to friends, foes, and members of Goldsmith's extended family. Tracing the billionaire's roots back to the 15th-century Frankfurt ghetto that also spawned the Rothschild clan, the author spins an illuminating yarn that gets down to business with a gossipy account of Goldsmith's privileged, scapegrace youth. Following stints at Eton and in the British army, Goldsmith joined his brother in a French-based pharmaceuticals venture and soon amassed a small fortune that, in less than three decades, he parlayed into vast riches. Eventually, Goldsmith shifted his base of operations from Europe to America--and with a controlling interest in the prospering Grand Union supermarket chain, plus proceeds from raids on Crown Zellerbach, Diamond International, Goodyear, and other targets, he had no cause to regret the move. A prescient operator, Goldsmith anticipated the 1987 crash, converting his holdings into cash or its equivalent. Back once again in the UK, he then launched an abortive assault on BAT Industries; in the wake of this unsuccessful campaign, the mellowing Sir James withdrew from the fray. He now roams among his pleasure domes in France, Mexico, and elsewhere while supporting environmental causes. No narrative history of this larger-than-life character widely known as ``Goldenballs'' would be complete without an account of his decidedly unconventional personal affairs. Fallon obliges with briefings on an impressive lineup of beautiful wives and mistresses who, all told, have borne Goldsmith eight children. The author also recounts the tycoon's frequent battles with England's media, virtually the only fronts on which Fallon does not give Sir James the benefit of almost every doubt. A comprehensive and informative, albeit soft-centered, account of a genuinely remarkable career. (Forty-five illustrations.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Although a British peer, 58-year-old James Goldsmith is the son of a German Jew and a Frenchwoman from a peasant family. His meteoric rise from an Eton dropout, compulsive gambler and small businessman in his 20s to a billionaire multinational corporate raider by his 40s is entertainingly detailed by British journalist Fallon ( The Brothers: The Rise of Saatchi & Saatchi ). The author, who had Goldsmith's cooperation, is sympathetic to his subject but adequately covers the controversial aspects of his life. Goldsmith's practice of maintaining several concurrent households with various wives and mistresses and children has caused considerable scandal. He is also well known as an arch conservative, a fervent anti-communist and a hater of the press. However, his reputation as a greed-driven takeover addict has been muted recently by his passionate espousal of ecological causes. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Goldsmith is best known in America for predicting and profiting from the stock market crash of 1987. He also has a reputation as a risk-taking, aggressive corporate raider who in the 1980s went after companies like Grand Union and Goodyear. Less known is that Goldsmith's ancestors, who include the Rothschilds, rose from the Frankfurt ghettos to become wealthy and prominent international entrepreneurs. Goldsmith himself has had multiple marriages, several children, and unfathomable amounts of wealth; having resided at times in England, France, and America, he now lives on the coast of Mexico in the largest known house in the world. Fallon, the deputy editor of the Sunday Times of London who has authored The Brothers: The Rise of Saatchi & Saatchi ( LJ 9/15/89) and coauthored with James Srodes Dream Maker: The Rise and Fall of John Z. DeLorean ( LJ 10/15/83), has gotten all these details right. Sadly, a life so rich with material should make for a more compelling story. This work, though copiously informative, comes off dry and lumbering. Recommended only for collections of business-oriented biographies.
- David Nudo, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House UK
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 009174380X
• ISBN 13: 9780091743802
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 500