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Great Fortune

The Epic of Rockefeller Center

The Epic of Rockefeller Center

By Daniel Okrent

By Daniel Okrent

By Daniel Okrent

By Daniel Okrent

Best Seller
Paperback $24.00

Nov 30, 2004 | ISBN 9780142001776

Ebook $8.99

Nov 30, 2004 | ISBN 9781101666906

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    Great Fortune by Daniel Okrent
    Paperback $24.00
    Nov 30, 2004 | ISBN 9780142001776

    Buy from Other Retailers:

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    • $24.00

      Nov 30, 2004 | ISBN 9780142001776

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Nov 30, 2004 | ISBN 9781101666906

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy the Ebook:

    About Great Fortune

    In this hugely appealing book, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, acclaimed author and journalist Daniel Okrent weaves together themes of money, politics, art, architecture, business, and society to tell the story of the majestic suite of buildings that came to dominate the heart of midtown Manhattan and with it, for a time, the heart of the world. At the center of Okrent’s riveting story are four remarkable individuals: tycoon John D. Rockefeller, his ambitious son Nelson Rockefeller, real estate genius John R. Todd, and visionary skyscraper architect Raymond Hood. In the tradition of David McCullough’s The Great Bridge, Ron Chernow’s Titan, and Robert Caro’s The Power Broker, Great Fortune is a stunning tribute to an American landmark that captures the heart and spirit of New York at its apotheosis.

    About Great Fortune

    In this hugely appealing book, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, acclaimed author and journalist Daniel Okrent weaves together themes of money, politics, art, architecture, business, and society to tell the story of the majestic suite of buildings that came to dominate the heart of midtown Manhattan and with it, for a time, the heart of the world. At the center of Okrent’s riveting story are four remarkable individuals: tycoon John D. Rockefeller, his ambitious son Nelson Rockefeller, real estate genius John R. Todd, and visionary skyscraper architect Raymond Hood. In the tradition of David McCullough’s The Great Bridge, Ron Chernow’s Titan, and Robert Caro’s The Power Broker, Great Fortune is a stunning tribute to an American landmark that captures the heart and spirit of New York at its apotheosis.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    About Daniel Okrent

    Daniel Okrent is a prizewinning journalist, author, and television commentator. For many years he was a senior editorial executive at Time Inc. In 2003 he was appointed the first Public Editor of the New York Times.

    About Daniel Okrent

    Daniel Okrent is a prizewinning journalist, author, and television commentator. For many years he was a senior editorial executive at Time Inc. In 2003 he was appointed the first Public Editor of the New York Times.

    Product Details

    Category: Arts & Entertainment | 20th Century U.S. History

    Paperback | $24.00
    Published by Penguin Books
    Nov 30, 2004 | 560 Pages | 6-1/8 x 9-1/4 | ISBN 9780142001776

    Category: Arts & Entertainment | 20th Century U.S. History

    Ebook | $8.99
    Published by Penguin Books
    Nov 30, 2004 | 560 Pages | ISBN 9781101666906

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    Praise

    A great book. Nuanced, clever and rollicking, itÆs nonfiction as a work of art. (The New York Observer)

    Altogether stirring and vivid and enjoyable. (The New Yorker)

    Puckish good humor and elegant prose. (The Wall Street Journal)

    Delightful and exhaustive (but never exhausting)à the dazzling, complex story of how New YorkÆs acropolis came to be. (The Smithsonian)

    Awards

    New York Times Notable Book WINNER

    Table Of Contents

    A Note to the Reader

    Prologue: May 21, 1928 and September 30, 1939

    1. The Heart of This Great City

    2. A Commonplace Person

    3. These Properties Will Be Greatly Increased in Value

    4. I Chose the Latter Course

    5. Architecture Never Lies

    6. Tears of Joy to a Small Business Man

    7. I Like Having a Lot of People Against Me

    8. A Genius

    9. A Hundred Lawsuits

    10. Let Owen Young Do It

    11. Who Designed Rockefeller Center?

    12. Wondering Where I’m Going to Get the Money

    13. Our Architects Deserve to Remain in Chains

    14. Desperate for Business

    15. Give ‘Em Something Better

    16. Ruthlessness Was Just Another Word for Good Business

    17. All the Finns in Helsingfors

    18. What Do You Paint, When You Paint on a Wall?

    19. I Was Not Interested in Sitting and Listening

    20. Visitors Give Him Dollars

    21. The Snake Changing Its Skin

    22. The Kingdom of the World

    23. The Demand is Almost Unbelievable

    Epilogue: 1948-2003

    Notes
    Bibliography
    Acknowledgements
    Illustration Credits
    Index

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