Customer Reviews

As I See It: The Autobiography of J. Paul Getty

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This is Getty's autobiography, written in the 1970's not long before he died. One of the founders of Apple Computer advised me to read this book years ago, and so I did. I've studied many books on finance and business, but this was the first time I had read an account of a billionaire's life (and as I would later discover, the world's richest man).

Getty wrote this book to give the public a glimpse into his very private life; seemingly knowing he was about to die, that he did not desire to die such a secretive/reclussive man. Inside this book, you'll read about how he developed a strong work ethic at a young age -- working hard-labor in the oil fields that he would later own; sneaking out his parents car in the middle of the night to take girls out on dates (hah!); accumulating wealth and looking out for employees; laying everything on the line for great opportunities; the tragedy of his grandson's kidnapping; and a very nice retort for all those people who called him a stingy old man -- that all of his wealth/money was invested in his business.

Oh yeah, and you read about how he hung out with Hugh Heffner back in the day. His original books were published by Playboy Press, including my copy of his autobiography (an original 70's hardcopy). :-) Yeah, Getty lived the life I would like to be living now -- 'cept for all the divorces; poor guy just couldn't keep a lady around and it's depressing to read sometimes. And in a way, reading this book gives me inspiration for staying on track, aiming your sights on what's important in life and not letting go. Getty had a fun life and he was handsomely rewarded for it. Since reading Getty, I've seen the same drive in all the other Billionaires whose autobiographies I've read -- Branson, Dell, Schultz. And also Ray Kroc (although technically I don't think his stock was yet worth $1B when he died).

You will love reading this account of Getty's life if your aim is to: have fun in life, be wealthy, learn from others, have a personal mentor from the grave, accomplish great things, and read autobiographies.

Getty, thanks for sharing =)

I felt kind of lame after reading this book, Getty really lived a full life. Reading the book, you feel like you're having a conversation with him about his life and what's on his mind. He seems very down to earth.

This isn't necessarily a quick read business how-to book though you learn a lot by reading it. You get his life story that includes details on his family, friends, business associates, charity work and art. You also get interesting stories about the famous people he knew, eg his friend the Duke of Windsor that met with Hitler trying to avert WWII. Also there are chapters lovingly discussing his parents, children, and even his 5 ex-wives. He also defends his reputation for being cheap, eg payphone in his mansion. You really get inside his head by reading this book. My favorite chapter is his random thoughts chapter he wrote on Thanksgiving day, less than a year before he died 1976.

"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage-payer. You cannot further the Brotherhood of Man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves." Abraham Lincoln

Mr. Getty begins and ends his book with this quote. He discusses his political ideas, his personal life starting from his childhood, as well as, focusing on the current events of the day. I enjoyed learning about Jackie Kennedy, Aristotle Onassis, the Rockefellers, and other famous people in his day.

His parents were very involved and attentive. They helped him develop into a mature and successful adult. Their stable relationship created a nice environment for their only child, Paul. Unfortunately, Mr. Getty was unable to create an environment like this for his five sons. His short term marriages, created turmoil for his children. Mr. Getty felt like a failure in all five of his marriages.

He inherited the oil business from his father. But because of his hard work and his intelligence, he built an empire.

I enjoyed reading his ideas on women and men. He explains the differences between the sexes in the work place as well in relationships. He obviously learned a lot about women from his marriages.

Mr. Getty explains why he looks friendless and very grim in his media photos. He explains why he installed a pay phone in his mansion.

He actually was not a loner, or a miser, as the press incorrectly states. It would stand to reason that he wasn't friendless. As generally speaking:
"The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends."

It is ironic that he is considered cheap as he built two world class museums in Los Angeles. His admitted addiction to buying art created a need for the two museums, which he built with his own funds.He purchased the art for his museums as well. One museum was built before his death, the other was funded from a trust fund. Today his museums receive endowments from the Getty Trust to maintain them, as well as, to purchase more art.

I would have liked to know Mr. Getty. He would have been wonderful to converse with as he had a wide variety of interests, and he wasn't hesitant to state his opinions.

Paul J. Getty's wealth is not what makes this book interesting. His clever insights and his intellect are what make this book well worth reading. Throughout the book I noticed his keen mind and his sense of humor.

I appreciated the index, which made his book more of a pleasure to read, as I was able to easily reread subjects that were of particular interest to me. Although I am a fast reader the details in this book lends itself to be read slowly. You will enjoy this book.

Good book out of print Amazon copy received was in near mint condition. 351 pages,30 pages of photographs. Not as mean as he was portrayed yet it is evident the author was a bit vain. he is obviously an interesting read. You learn "what makes him tick". If you are looking for a guide to riches this is not for you but if you are interested in learning about the richest man of his time then read this.

RANKING OVERALL 7/10 BIO INFO 8/10 USEFUL INFO 5/10

I bought this book (for full price, should have saved $7 ordering through Amazon) at the Malibu Getty museum, initially to read after tiring before my wife of art-admiring. I read it the following week, and here are my impressions.

The book is very readable, Getty is to-the-point and clear, he wanders a bit, no surprise for an 83-yr-old writer, but maintaining a good train of thought and addresses the topics one would want to hear. The pictures bring some personalities to life, and the large print helps the pages speed by.

Some sections are fascinating, for example, the ways he dedicated himself to business at the cost of his five marriages, his hi-jinks as a youth, conversations with top leaders, Hollywood people and pesky hangers-on as the richest man in the world.

Other sections can be tedious. He often argues that he is not a hermit, not miserly, and had great relations with his parents. Much of this comes across as protesting too much, in fact, I tried to find an unauthorized biography to contrast with his official version, as I suspect some facts don't align with his narrative, but have not yet succeeded. He also assumes a superior vision across the realm of art and humanity, which I do not value as highly as his views on business.

My top gripe is the apocalyptic view of the world falling apart, mainly because there are fewer capitalistic businessman and more leftists than were dominant during his youth. The topic only comes up sporatically, although I thought of tossing the book midstream when his peculiar point of view went astray to the point of assaulting the concept of welfare and advocating capital punishment. He went so far as to claim (p. 172) that the US might well, probably before now, have to flush the unemployed out of the inner cities onto plots of countryside land to fend for themselves.

Overall, however, the book was worth reading, both as an historical document and as an engaging personal history that took a very strong and astute personality to write.

Awesome book, of course you have to consider that the book is written by the author (so things come from Getty's perspective...), but he explains the strongest detractor's statements quite well. For example, when he refused to pay the ransom demands for his grandson... the press blasted him for being a cheap bastard, but Getty explains that if he had paid (right away), all his family would have been in jeopardy to kidnappers. Very human side to an extremely successful man's life. I feel like I owe "Paul" a thank-you, I have visited the Getty museums many many times, and Getty explains in detail how the museum (Malibu) came about and why he did it. My understanding that Getty passed away a few years (?) after this book was published.

Extremely relevant for the current times, Getty basically says that capitalism (and the United States) is doomed if the US governments spending spree (and national debt) continues.... Getty basically said that what is wrong with the US is that too many politicians spend/waste money without proper planning / budgeting / accountability. Far too many free-loaders, and unnecessary government spending. If your a 'left-wing' liberal, you will defiantly not like Getty's politics, but Getty has the courage to say it clearly.

The book was a surprise, I was only expecting to get storys of business success, and got that plus human insight, clear-thinking politics and more understanding of world economics (from the master economist).

One of the things I found most interesting in this book was the way that Getty candidly addresses the many media misrepresentations in his life. His refusal to pay his grandson's kidnappers in order to keep his other grandchildren safe, his agreement to finally pay them only after a family meeting in which all surviving sons agreed. His admiration for his parents, his work ethic and values, his frank exploration of his marital failures... the entire story is gripping, well-written, matter-of-fact and mesmerizing. The fact that you've heard of all the players and that Getty knew them intimately and considered himself highly privileged to do so makes this a delightful, compelling read. Getty's views on economics, politics, and the morals of the 20th century and beyond should be read by everyone and studied by historians, politicians, and students of human nature. I will read this book, and visit his remarkable collection of art, again and again.

I do love to read the copy I have, I especially agree with one of the last reviewers about the "random thoughts" near the end. It genuinely gives me and I think anyone who seriously reads this book a genuinely better understanding of the workings of a great business mind and a man who has lived a worldly life. Sure, some would say that he viewed life as the ultimate business transaction, and I would agree. But when you succeed at any level on a large scale, I know, that is the best way to view life. Sure, the emotions and all the like can be there, but the logic has to balance the emotion to even make it worthwhile. This basic reality is something I am convinced he understood, but, I did not say he understood it perfectly. But then, to all great minds perfection is only a concept and you get close to it as possible and sometimes achieve it. But that is the point of this book and the point his life shows in business and outside of it.