THE RICH RICH: The Story of the Big Spenders

How the rich spent their money: a nonstop tabulation of gold party favors, 200-seat private cinemas, and $75,000 opera glasses. There are Vanderbilts, Astors, and Rockefellers; Fords, Krupps, and Khans; entertainers and merchant princes', mavericks like the Rev. Ike; and an unreasonably long entry on the merely moneyed Fanny Lucy Houston. Their baubles: yachts with 90 in crew, homes with 110 rooms, funerals with 3,000 roses. Although the contents glitter, the stockpiling narrative begins to pall and Jenkins' eye-rolling style becomes irritating. But the motivations-not just oneupmanship--continue to astonish: Aristotle Onassis, a self-styled Odysseus, bought Skorpios because Ithaca wasn't for sale. A sightseer's ride on the gravy-train, ideal for short hops, bumpier for the long haul.