Howard Hughes lived one of the greatest, most heroic, misunderstood, mysterious, bizarre, and tragic lives in American history. In this brilliantly documented biography, the mythology that surrounded that life is disentangled from the truth. Hughes had always been different. Certainly his riches set him apart, but he was also tough. Orphaned and a millionaire at eighteen, Hughes repudiated his relatives, seized control of the Hughes Tool Company, the linchpin of his fortune, and went on to become a flamboyant movie producer, holder of many world aviation records, principal owner of Trans World Airlines, a critically important defense contractor, Hollywood's most pursued and elusive bachelor, and partner of the United States government. This is an epic biography of an epic figure who bestrode the world like a colossus yet could not master himself.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Though he rose to fame after a record-setting flight around the world and the construction of an unprecedented fleet of airplanes, aerospace industry icon Howard Hughes wasted millions of dollars in production, swindled taxpayers through self-serving philanthropy projects and regularly lied to stockholders. In his spare time he worked for Joe McCarthy, was an avid supporter of segregation and nearly destroyed himself through drugs. In this biography of Hughes, authors David Barlett and James Steele reveal the dark, often unlawful, existence that can accompany an American success story.
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This meticulously detailed and well-written biography strips the glamour from the Howard Hughes legend . . . -- Library Journal, Mark Annichiarico
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41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Demise of an Empire,
By
This review is from: Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes (Paperback)
Donald Bartlett and James Steel's book, "Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes" is an excellent example of journalistic reporting converted into book form; the book is simply fascinating to read. The authors accomplish the gargantuan task of separating fact from fiction in the very complex life of Howard Hughes. "Empire" is impeccably researched and documented; It is a bona fide biography that reads more like fiction than real life-such was the world of Howard Hughes.
"Empire" traces the rise and tragic fall of Howard Hughes; a man who wore many hats, he was an aviator, Hollywood movie producer, Las Vegas hotel/casino owner ... and a recluse. For one brief shining moment, Hughes was considered one of America's premier aviators, breaking flying records, but then falling out of grace with government and the aviation industry for breaking contract deadlines. In the long run, Howard Hughes would become a grand failure in the world of big business. Bartlett and Steel show the reader a man who had everything to live for, good looks, fame, fortune, power and prestige, but he was unable to triumph over his social and physical phobias that led to psychological, emotional, and physical illnesses and to his final descent into the dwellings of the insane. Hughes' deep mistrust of all people-even family, worked against him and led to his demise and the lose of his billion dollar empire by the very people whose job it was to safeguard him and his empire. By the time I finished reading "Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes, I was much more accepting of my status as a non wealthy individual. Although Howard Hughes had everything a man could possibly wish for, he was underprivileged in peace of mind.... The authors do a superb job in separating fact from myth in the life of Howard Hughes. The book is worth reading.
32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is what should be called real "biography". Well-done!,
This review is from: Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes (Paperback)
This is a fantastic book, if you need to read a real and thorough biography about Howard Hughes. I mean, it is so thorough, that you can find anything you possibly want to know (if you study HH as a scholarly subject or just curious)... you can find anything, but the speculations about his private life. This book is not about speculations, it is a REAL RESEARCH. It is done chronologically and it has many appendices, that discuss everything, from significant dates in HH's life to the financial statements of his company and his finances throughout his life. I, personally, don't have any warm feelings towards the character of HH as a historical figure (quite to the contrary...as a matter of fact I dislike him), but the authors of this book deserve all the praise, they can possibly get.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
looking for comprehensive Hughes? look no further ..,
This review is from: Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes (Paperback)
This is a fantastic account of the life of Howard Hughes. The book moves deftly through Hughe's life from beginning to end, from a man that refuses to give consideration to other people's suggestions and advice to a withered shell that is practically canabalized by the many companies he created. With his mind and body failing, Hughe's "assistants" become more and more empowered. The book is often punctuated with Hughe's truely bizarre memos and notes to his assistants. They cast Hughes in what would now be considered an obsessive compulsive personality. This book is well written, from his days as a youth to his germ phobic self imposed exile.
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First Sentence:
ALL his life, Howard Hughes stood in awe of his father, the tall, handsome, flamboyant man who endowed him with a flair for the dramatic, a love of things mechanical, and one of the great industrial creations of the twentieth century. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
operating memorandum, tool company board, stockade leader, penthouse aides, unidentified aide, sioo bills, dissident directors, helicopter contract, state mine inspector, aircraft division, gaming authorities, special administrator, light observation helicopters, ocean mining, aircraft company, medical institute, mining properties, flying boat, codeine tablets, voting trust, sole stockholder, gaming commission Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Las Vegas, Howard Hughes, Los Angeles, Hughes Aircraft, Hughes Tool Company, Air West, Desert Inn, New York, Romaine Street, United States, Bill Gay, Culver City, Miss Henley, White House, Chester Davis, Justice Department, Nadine Henley, Donald Nixon, Hell's Angels, United Press International, Wall Street, Bel Air, Hughes Nevada Operations, Summa Corporation, Noah Dietrich New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
ALL his life, Howard Hughes stood in awe of his father, the tall, handsome, flamboyant man who endowed him with a flair for the dramatic, a love of things mechanical, and one of the great industrial creations of the twentieth century. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
operating memorandum, tool company board, stockade leader, penthouse aides, unidentified aide, sioo bills, dissident directors, helicopter contract, state mine inspector, aircraft division, gaming authorities, special administrator, light observation helicopters, ocean mining, aircraft company, medical institute, mining properties, flying boat, codeine tablets, voting trust, sole stockholder, gaming commission Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Las Vegas, Howard Hughes, Los Angeles, Hughes Aircraft, Hughes Tool Company, Air West, Desert Inn, New York, Romaine Street, United States, Bill Gay, Culver City, Miss Henley, White House, Chester Davis, Justice Department, Nadine Henley, Donald Nixon, Hell's Angels, United Press International, Wall Street, Bel Air, Hughes Nevada Operations, Summa Corporation, Noah Dietrich New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
29
books
cite this book:
See all 29 books citing this book
- The Best American Magazine Writing 2001 (Best American Magazine Writing) by Harold M. Evans in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- The Grit Beneath the Glitter: Tales from the Real Las Vegas by Hal Rothman on page 125, and page 332
- Cosmic Trends: Astrology Connects the Dots by Philip Brown on page 47, and Back Matter
- Critical Condition: How Health Care in America Became Big Business--and Bad Medicine by Donald L. Barlett in Front Matter
- NASA and the Space Industry (New Series in NASA History) by Joan Lisa Bromberg on page 13
See all 29 books citing this book
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