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Capitalism at its most colorful oozes across the pages of this engrossing study of independent oil men. Vanity Fair special correspondent Burrough (coauthor, Barbarians at the Gate) profiles the Big Four oil dynasties of H.L. Hunt, Roy Cullen, Clint Murchison and Sid Richardson, along with their cronies, rivals, families and, in Hunt's case, bigamous second and third families. The saga begins heroically in the early 20th-century oil boom, with wildcatters roaming the Texas countryside drilling one dry hole after another, scrounging money and fending off creditors until gushers of black gold redeem them. Their second acts as garish nouveaux riches with strident right-wing politics are entertaining, if less dramatic. Decline sets in as rising production costs and cheaper Middle Eastern oil erode profits, and a feckless, feuding second generation squanders family fortunes on debauchery and reckless investment-H.L.'s sons' efforts in 1970 to corner the silver market bankrupted them and almost took down Wall Street. This is a portrait of capitalism as white-knuckle risk taking, yielding fruitful discoveries for the fathers, but only sterile speculation for the sons-a story that resonates with today's economic upheaval. (Jan. 27)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Burrough (special correspondent, Vanity Fair; coauthor, with John Helyar, Barbarians at the Gate) details the multigenerational saga of the "Big Four" Texas oil families of Roy Cullen, H.L. Hunt, Clint Murchison, and Sid Richardson, from the discovery of oil under Beaumont, TX, in 1901 to the demolition of the infamous Shamrock Hotel, the last bastion of oil-fueled Texas excess, in 1987. Since Burrough favors the human-interest angle, the narrative really hits its stride when the focus moves to the Hunt family in the 1960s. The real-life inspiration for the television show Dallas, the Hunts prove the adage that truth is stranger than fiction. In addition to splurging and feuding as only billionaires can, they (allegedly) masterminded the JFK assassination and later threw Wall Street into chaos with their fixation on converting their family fortune into silver ingots, precipitating what at the time was the largest bailout in U.S. history. This book is an entertaining look at the larger-than-life histories of the incomprehensibly rich and powerful. While it's an extensively researched synthesis of a time and a place, it avoids a dry, academic tone through the natural drama of these miniature empires and the truly bizarre characters that inhabited them. Recommended for all libraries.
—Robert Perret
1 "There's Something Down There ..." 1
2 The Creekologist 15
3 Sid and Clint 32
4 The Bigamist and the Boom 52
5 The Worst of Times, the Best of Times 83
6 The Big Rich 101
7 Birth of the Ultraconservatives 126
8 War and Peace 147
9 The New World 164
10 "A Clumsy and Immeasurable Power" 202
11 "Troglodyte, Genus Texana" 229
12 The Golden Years 250
13 Rising Sons 273
14 Sun, Sex, Spaghetti - and Murder 308
15 Watergate, Texas-style 334
16 The Last Boom 355
17 The Great Silver Caper 387
18 The Bust 406
Epilogue 433
Thank Yous 439
Notes 441
Index 457
wk
Posted March 11, 2009
This is a great read for anyone interested in the history of Texas Oil and the men and their families that became legends. The book's story is centered around the bigger than life H.L. Hunt, Clint Murchison, Sid Richardson, and Roy Cullen and their rise in riches from oil and their influence in State and National politics.
You will laugh at the many unbelievable tales and not want to put this book down.
Get ready for a rip roaring history that is big as Texas and the men who made it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 23, 2011
Interesting book to read, but the author makes it quit clear of his left wing bias against conservatives. The author is a liberal and he must of mentioned the words right wing extremist and racist right wingers on almost every page on the last half of the book. Do not recomend.
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Posted December 1, 2010
I was not raised in Texas but have lived in Houston since the 80's so this book was very interesting. I liked learning about how Texas came about & how influencial the oil industry has been. I have passed this on to many friends who have seemed to like the book as well. Easy, interesting reading
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.thoughtful
Posted November 13, 2010
I came upon this book somewhat by chance. As a native Texan and Houstonian (growing up there in the 1950's and 60's) plus living in West Texas for a time and knowing quite a few of the locales mentioned, I found this book to be highly interesting and entertaining, even though Texas is portrayed in a bad light at times. In contrast to comments by a couple of previous reviewers, I thought the book was easily readable and I noted no misspelled Texas towns. [The only suspect along those lines was the date of San Jacinto Day, given as April 22nd but in reality April 21st]. There was quite a bit of dissipation in the lives of the Big Rich but keep in mind the benefits of their charitable contributions (the Texas Medical Center, University of Houston, other university buildings and programs, etc) and the economic growth generated, helping the average person.
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Posted August 22, 2009
The book describes how the big rich Texas oilmen came from modest backgrounds and took big risks. When they came up in the world they forgot about their backgrounds and contributed to right-wing causes.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 16, 2009
I quit on page 37. Why do you ask? The lack of researching the correct spelling of towns in Texas. This Texan is proud of their state. Incorrectly spelling names of towns is not tolerated well by this Texan. How can I rely on the rest of the information to be correct? In this day and age there is too much technology available for research to spell the name of any town wrong. I plan to send this book to the author, who lives in another state.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.larry55
Posted May 16, 2009
If you have complained about the price of energy this is a "must read".
"The Big Rich" is a wonderful synopsis of the history of Texas oil and the players that made it happen.
The book also details the influence this group of individuals have on Presidents, Congress and the decisions that affect all Americans and how this came about.
If this was a novel you might not believe what goes on...but, it's reality.
cannonball
Posted April 6, 2009
I Also Recommend:
O, to be in Texas now that oil's there! This book is an ambitious attempt to explain the Texas phenomenon: "Big Rich," i.e., those men who got enormously wealthy very quickly courtesy of black gold. It's a hoot reading about them and how they made and spent their money. The author also details how some of them lost their wealth almost immediately and how the second or third generations ran the wells dry. Alas, while very informative, the book is flawed because it tries to cover so much. The subjects just don't mesh together preferring to lead their individual lives without reference to one another. From the reader's viewpoint, this means following any number of story lines and family lines to the point of confusion. Nevertheless, I do recommend this book-its good points outweigh the bad.
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Posted March 8, 2010
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Overview
"What's not to enjoy about a book full of monstrous egos, unimaginable sums of money, and the punishment of greed and shortsightedness?"Phenomenal reviews and sales greeted the hardcover publication of The Big Rich, New York Times bestselling author Bryan Burrough's spellbinding chronicle of Texas oil. Weaving together the multigenerational sagas of the industry's four wealthiest families, Burrough brings to life the men known in their day as the Big Four: Roy Cullen, H. L. Hunt, Clint Murchison, and Sid Richardson, all swaggering Texas oil tycoons who owned sprawling ranches and mingled with presidents and Hollywood stars. Seamlessly charting their ...