Heiresses : the lives of the million dollar babies
(Book)

Book Cover
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Published
New York : St. Martin's Press, 2022.
Edition
First U.S. edition.
Status

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LocationCall NumberStatusDue Date
Rapid City Public Library - History - AdultHISTORY 305.4821 THOChecked OutApril 2, 2024

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Published
New York : St. Martin's Press, 2022.
Format
Book
Edition
First U.S. edition.
Physical Desc
378 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm
Language
English

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 363-367) and index.
Description
Thompson examines the lives of heiresses throughout history and discovers the often tragic truth beneath the gilded surface. Before the 20th century a wife's inheritance was the property of her husband, making her vulnerable to kidnap, forced marriages, even confinement in an asylum. And in modern times, heiresses fell victim to fortune-hunters who squandered their millions. In discussing their lives, Thompson also tells a bigger story about how all women fought their way to equality, and sometimes even found autonomy and fulfilment. - adapted from jacket
Description
"New York Times bestselling author Laura Thompson returns with Heiresses, a fascinating look at the lives of heiresses throughout history and the often tragic truth beneath the gilded surface. Heiresses: surely they are among the luckiest women on earth. Are they not to be envied, with their private jets and Chanel wardrobes and endless funds? Yet all too often those gilded lives have been beset with trauma and despair. Before the 20th century a wife's inheritance was the property of her husband, making her vulnerable to kidnap, forced marriages, even confinement in an asylum. And in modern times, heiresses fell victim to fortune-hunters who squandered their millions. Heiresses tells the stories of these women: Mary Davies, who inherited London's most valuable real estate, and was bartered from the age of twelve; Consuelo Vanderbilt, the original American "Dollar Heiress", forced into a loveless marriage; Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress who married seven times and died almost penniless; Patty Hearst, heiress to a newspaper fortune who was arrested for terrorism. However, there are also stories of achievement: Angela Burdett-Coutts, who became one of the greatest philanthropists of Victorian England; Nancy Cunard, who lived off her mother's fortune and became a pioneer of the civil rights movement; Daisy Fellowes, elegant linchpin of interwar high society and noted fashion editor. Heiresses is about the lives of the rich, who-as F. Scott Fitzgerald said-are 'different'. But it is also a bigger story about how all women fought their way to equality, and sometimes even found autonomy and fulfilment"--

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Thompson, L. (2022). Heiresses: the lives of the million dollar babies (First U.S. edition.). St. Martin's Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Thompson, Laura, 1964-. 2022. Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies. St. Martin's Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Thompson, Laura, 1964-. Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies St. Martin's Press, 2022.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Thompson, Laura. Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies First U.S. edition., St. Martin's Press, 2022.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.