THE COMMON MILLIONAIRE: And How To Get That Way

by Robert Heller ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 5, 1974

Heller is a disapproving but fascinated observer of how money begets money and nothing succeeds like success. He claims that contrary to popular belief, it's easier to become a millionaire than ever before -- this being accomplished most frequently by the expedient of the joint stock company, ""an engine for the creation of endless wealth unsupported by any concrete foundation."" Heller's vistas are global: he turns a jaundiced eye on Australian land development schemes, Japanese shipping magnates, Texas oil deals and many more modest ventures. Mergers, stock flotations and dilution and a variety of other techniques ""for divorcing capital from income and taxes"" make it a comparatively simple matter to get rich at the expense of an ever gullible and avaricious public. Heller, who keeps a breezy, sarcastic tone throughout, is enthralled by the fact that ""all owners of big, middling and small money owe much of it to multiplication by mirrors""; and whether writing about Robert Vesco, ""the alleged picker-over of the LOS carcass,"" or the Johnson wax and polish dynasty of Racine, Wisc., he keeps his eye on the ""mathematical games"" by which fortunes are amassed and on the very thin line separating legal from illegal ploys for bilking investors. Heller will help you understand how and why the sweet smell of success so often turns to an unholy stench.

Pub Date: Nov. 5, 1974

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1974

Categories: NONFICTION