Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters: The Definitive Biography of the First American Billionaire

by Richard Hack Narrated by Dan Cashman

Overview

Howard Hughes (1905-1976) was a true American original: legendary lover, record-setting aviator, idiosyncratic film producer, talented inventor, ultimate eccentric-and, for much of his lifetime, the richest man in the United States. His desire for privacy was so fierce and his isolation so complete that even several decades after his death, inaccurate stories continue to circulate about him. Richard Hack explodes the illusion of Hughes' life and exposes the man behind the myth--a playboy whose sexual exploits with Hollywood stars were legendary, an entrepreneur without ethics, an explorer without maps, and ultimately, an eccentric trapped by his own insanity.

Drawing on secreted letters, declassified FBI files, autopsy reports, more than 110,000 pages of court testimony, and exclusive interviews, Hack reveals a man so devious in his thinking and so perverse in his desires that his impact continues to be felt even today. From entertainment to politics, aviation to espionage, the influence and manipulation of this billionaire has left an indelible and unique mark on the American cultural landscape.

Editorial Reviews

AUG/SEP 02 - AudioFile

Movie mogul, ruthless industrialist, aviation pioneer, roué, spoiled brat, reclusive eccentric, madman--Howard Hughes was all of these. The aptly named Hack engagingly lays out enough sordid details of a totally selfish life to numb even the most prurient of interests. By and large, narrator Dan Cashman does a workmanlike job, though he's prone to odd phrasing and a kind of vocal trudging, as if he's very, very tired. Y.R. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175602600
Publisher:	Phoenix Books, Inc.
Publication date:	07/01/2009
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos