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David A. Kaplan

Mine's Bigger: The Extraordinary Tale of the World's Greatest Sailboat and the Silicon Valley Tycoon Who Built It Paperback – Illustrated, July 1, 2008

by David A Kaplan (Author)

51 ratings

3.9 on Goodreads

133 ratings

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As the dominant venture capitalist of Silicon Valley, Tom Perkins had seemingly done it all—from amassing a billion-dollar fortune to getting himself convicted of manslaughter in France. But his ultimate dream was to create the biggest, fastest, riskiest, highest-tech, most self-indulgent sailboat ever built.

With keen storytelling and biting wit, bestselling author David A. Kaplan takes us inside the mind of an American genius and behind the scenes of an extraordinary venture: the birth of Perkins's $130 million marvel The Maltese Falcon. This modern clipper ship is as long as a football field and forty-two feet wide, with three rotating masts, each twenty stories high, and a bridge straight out of Star Trek. The riveting biography of a remarkable ship and the remarkable man who built it, Mine's Bigger is an unforgettable profile of ambition, hubris, audacity, and the imagination of a legendary entrepreneur.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

It Books
Publication date

July 1, 2008
Dimensions

6 x 0.72 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0061374024
ISBN-13

978-0061374029
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Tom Perkins
61
Paperback
24 offers from $2.10

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The man, his ego and his boat are examined with insight and precision.” — Forbes

“An exhilarating account of how Tom Perkins...created ‘the perfect yacht’...the Maltese Falcon.” — American Heritage

“Engaging and revealing…brought vividly to life by the adept Kaplan....” — --Daniel Okrent, Fortune

“I opened Mr. Kaplan’s book with a great deal of interest; I was not disappointed.” — Pete Du Pont, former governor of Delaware, The Wall Street Journal

“...definitely worth the read.” — USA Today

“Perkins’ two worlds--high-stakes, big-ego, cutting-edge sailing technology, and high-stakes, big-ego corporate politics--are inextricably linked in MINE’S BIGGER.” — New York Post

“Inspired.” — Denver Rocky Mountain News

About the Author

David A. Kaplan is a senior editor at Newsweek. He is the author of The Silicon Boys, a national bestseller that has been translated into six languages. His work has also appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, various Op-Ed pages, Parenting, and Food & Wine. A graduate of Cornell and the New York University School of Law, he lives with his wife and two sons in Irvington, New York.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ It Books; Illustrated edition (July 1, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061374024
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061374029
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.72 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,123,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,672 in Boating (Books)
- #2,503 in Ships (Books)
- #4,000 in Sports History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
51 ratings

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David A. Kaplan

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David A. Kaplan is the former legal affairs of Newsweek, where he covered the Supreme Court for a decade. His other books include The Silicon Boys (a New York Times bestseller that was translated into six languages), The Accidental President (an account of the 2000 election on which HBO’s "Recount" was based), and Mine’s Bigger (a biography of the largest sailboat in the world that won the Loeb Award for Best Business Book of 2008). A graduate of Cornell and the New York University School of Law, he teaches courses in journalism and ethics at NYU. He and his family live in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York.

Customer reviews

5 star		56%
4 star		28%
3 star		8%
2 star		6%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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John M. Schubert

Maltest Falcon - bold design, Tom Perkins - bold dreamer!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is more of a biography of Tom Perkins than about the Maltese Falcon however as you will see the to are intertwined. The book has been criticized by some as overly negative. I think the author does a good job of portraying Perkins as he is, warts and all. Some may not like Perkins style but hey we all have a different walk. One thing for certain he doesn't look at the world from a static point of view.

I admire Tom Perkins for having balls and looking beyond the same old stogy design of most yachts. His was a bold vision for the Maltese Falcon; the yacht would never have been built by a lessor man. This isn't about wealth or power but about a person with a dream and the money to pursue it.

Helpful

getbblg

A sybarite's dream come true...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 20, 2012

Verified Purchase

Of course it helps if you happen to be a Silicon Valley / Entrepreneurship / Sybaritic life enthusiast, and no - you don't need to know zilch about boats in order to enjoy this read. Mr. Kaplan has captured the essence of a man about the size of this sailing yacht - at least in terms of ambition, curiosity and hands-on delivery of World-class, for the reader's joy. From minutia in the Hewlett-Packard BOD to what goes on in a shipyard on the Adriatic coast, Kaplan's attention to detail and swift penmanship takes the reader to places he/she might not have expected to have seen. But the most interesting visit of all: the inside of the head of a mastermind venture capitalist, a consummate engineer and a project-builder second to none. Highly recommended!!!

Helpful

Loupan Captain

Great story of a very special project

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 13, 2013

Verified Purchase

In depth story telling you the Amazing story behind the building of the Maltese Falcon.
We have seen this vessel a number of times sailing in the West Indies. Now it seems that an ever bigger version of this
idea has been built (102 meters long!) by Perini Navi.
Fun to read if you are a sailor.

Helpful

Irby V. Scott

... his money to try the near impossible was a great read.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

This story of sailing and the power of the man with his money to try the near impossible was a great read........you will like it.........

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KD

Interesting Story But Very Judgemental

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 20, 2011

Verified Purchase

A fascinating story about the development and construction of a revolutionary super-yacht. While the author's insights into Tom Perkin's persona help establish his motivations and talents for undertaking such a project, the constant stream of disparaging comments about Perkins detracts from the narrative. By constantly judging Perkins' actions rather than letting them speak for themselves, the author turns an entertaining work of maritime technology and biography into a piece of attack journalism.

Helpful

Norbert Kraft

Strangely 'pugilistic' in tone, but informative about this unique sailboat.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 15, 2013

Verified Purchase

Afrer 'Valley Boy" which was fantastic, I went on to read this book about the Big boat, because the chapter there about it was rather brief. The info in "Mine's Bigger" is interesting and fleshed out the process of the Falcon's conception and creation, but the writer took a rather sarcastic tone throughout, almost vengeful, as though he was envious of Perkins' good fortune..

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 21, 2015

Verified Purchase

Great book. I always wanted an in-depth walk-thru of the design and construction of this vessel. Including Perkins' story only sweetened the pot.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 14, 2014

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed reading the book, got an insight into yacht building and the egos that go with it. Parts of the book were very interesting, but equally there were parts that were boring.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Robb O.

A great story of engineering and personal challenges

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 8, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book follows the story of how Tom Perkins made his money and his dream of building the super yacht Maltese Falcon. I was gripped from page 1 it’s well written and very detailed about the man, his life and above all how and why the yacht came to be. Even if you are not a boat enthusiast you will find this a great read.

Tiger Single

Cool book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

An enjoyable book. As a yachty myself it was of great interest. Plus quite a bit of info on the background and life of the owner which was interesting

Amazon Kunde

book came late.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 26, 2021

Verified Purchase

Book arrived Feb.26 - a few wks late tho all's well that ends well. Thanks.

AndrewAshmore

Compulsive reading.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 22, 2020

Verified Purchase

Compulsive reading when you get into it. Engineering , venture capital history , auto iography , thriller , a great read for engineering types.

Arturo Centore

Mine's bigger...capital venture, risk, adventure and sailing!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 4, 2010

Verified Purchase

Very interesting book. If you like the adventure, the business, the risk and of course boats you have to read it. Do not expect navigation or sailing lessons. Will be all about the world around the biggest sailing private yacht...the Falcon Maltese and his owner Tom Perkins.

2 people found this helpful

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