Praise for Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, and the Rise of America’s Xanadu:
“A once-over-brightly jog through the history of Palm Beach . . . Once the enfeebled Flagler meets his maker by falling down marble steps at his Palm Beach mansion, the book takes off. Its richest portion centers on Marjorie Merriweather Post, the cereal heiress and magnate who began planning Mar-a-Lago in 1924 while married to financier E.F. Hutton.”—Scott Eyman, Wall Street Journal
“Les Standiford tells the fascinating story of how the mansion-turned-club, and the unusual community that surrounds it, came to be in his latest book . . . [He] does a fine job of telling its story.”—Tampa Bay Times
“In this charming, zippy history of Palm Beach, Les Standiford charts the destination’s fortune from its founding in the 1800s to the modern day. All of the familiar Palm Beach characters, from Henry Flagler to Addison Mizner and Marjorie Merriweather Post, are on hand for a rollicking, informative lesson in real estate, American history, and current events.”—Town & Country
“A book that will appeal to nose-pressed-against-the-glass readers.”—Economist
“The author of Last Train to Paradise tackles a topic that Palm Beachers know all too well: Mar-a-Lago. Standiford chronicles how the cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and her husband E.F. Hutton built the Gilded Age mansion that is now dubbed ‘The Winter White House.’”—Palm Beach Post
“Delightful . . . Mr. Standiford details every significant residence, club, and hotel; every significant marriage and divorce (first, second, or beyond); and every significant architect and designer. He describes the social calendar, the fads that came and went, the inheritances that kept family names afloat . . . Edifying, energetic, and captivating.”—Florida Weekly
“When there is a good story to tell, Les Standiford knows how to tell it great.”—FIU News
“Standiford returns to the Floridian territory of the rich and famous that he chronicled in his biography of Henry Flagler, but this time the author will likely attract even more readers with the newly relevant Mar-a-Lago . . . Recounts the epic struggle of the ultrawealthy to transform what are now known as Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Key West into a previously unimaginable enclave for conspicuous consumption.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Mar-a-Lago immediately conjures references to Donald Trump. However, this detailed social history of Palm Beach, Florida, reveals that Mr. Trump is only one of the many celebrities, political figures, and mega-rich entrepreneurs associated with this exclusive enclave . . . This is enjoyable social voyeurism for those who hanker after tales of the rich and famous, past and present.”—Booklist
“A readable history of the wealthy Americans who developed Florida for their vacationing pleasure . . . This chronicle focuses less on the personalities of the rich and famous and more on land acquisition and building, about which Standiford writes effortlessly . . . Will appeal to those interested in business history.”—Publishers Weekly
“A Florida tale always has unpredictable turns, and Les Standiford has the craftsmanship to guide us through in an utterly engaging way.”—Mark Kurlansky
Praise for Les Standiford:
“Hubris and gilded dreams are good subjects for Standiford, who has previously written about Henry Frick and Andrew Carnegie, among others; he artfully captures small moments while maintaining the historian’s broader view . . . Like Mulholland’s aqueduct, the book covers a lot of ground while moving along in episodic but dramatic fashion.”—New York Times Book Review, on Water to the Angels
“[An] incredibly timely book . . . A powerful—and beautifully told—story of hubris, ingenuity, and, ultimately, deepest tragedy.”—Erik Larson, author of Dead Wake, on Water to the Angels
“A refreshingly engaging tale.”—Los Angeles Review of Books, on Water to the Angels
“Oozes with tales of back-room corruption and opportunism . . . Unearths some new archival nuggets along the way.”—Miami Herald, on Water to the Angels
“Masterful . . . Standiford has a way of making the 1890s resonate with a twenty-first-century audience.”—USA Today, on Meet You in Hell
“Standiford tells the story with the skills of a novelist . . . A colloquial style that is mindful of William Manchester’s great The Glory and the Dream.”—Pittsburgh Tribune, on Meet You in Hell
“A dramatic story . . . Les Standiford has a good deal of fun with it all.”—Washington Post Book World, on Last Train to Paradise
“A definitive account of the engineering feat that became known as ‘Flagler’s Folly’. . . A rousing adventure.”—Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on Last Train to Paradise
“This is a wonderfully told tale, a strange and compelling story about a strange and compelling part of the world. With sharp, evocative reporting, the book captures an era, the Florida landscape, and the very human dream of doing the impossible.”—Susan Orlean, author of The Library Book, on Last Train to Paradise
07/22/2019
History writer Standiford (Last Train to Paradise) delivers a readable history of the wealthy Americans who developed Florida for their vacationing pleasure. Oil and railroad magnate Henry Flagler, seeking new business opportunities in the 1880s, set his sights on Florida. He built hotels and a rail line and, in the 1890s, constructed the lavish Breakers resort in Palm Beach. Flagler and his wife, Mary Lily, dominated the social scene there, attracting other wealthy people to town. One of the most important was Marjorie Merriweather Post, the only child of cereal tycoon C.W. Post; she and her husband hired Beaux Arts–trained architect Marion Sims Wyeth to design their first place, Hogarcito, and Wyeth and Joseph Urban for their second, the 128-room Mar-a-Lago, completed in 1927. Post planned to bequeath it to Florida, but the state considered it too expensive to maintain and, after her 1973 death, the fate of the property remained uncertain until 1985, when Donald Trump bought it and turned it into a membership resort. This chronicle focuses less on the personalities of the rich and famous and more on land acquisition and building, about which Stafford writes effortlessly. This book will appeal to those interested in business history. Illus. Agent: Kim Witherspoon, InkWell Management. (Nov.)
2019-09-02
A history of the famed resort town and a residence that has "assumed a stature in the collective consciousness far larger than its physical bounds."
Standiford (Center of Dreams: Building a World-Class Performing Arts Complex in Miami, 2018, etc.) returns to the Floridian territory of the rich and famous that he chronicled in his biography of Henry Flagler (Last Train to Paradise, 2002), but this time the author will likely attract even more readers with the newly relevant Mar-a-Lago. Donald Trump and his purchase of the mansion in 1985 does not take center stage until more than 200 pages have elapsed, but after that, he and his over-the-top resort occupy the majority of the rest of the book. Before focusing on Trump, though, Standiford recounts the epic struggle of the ultrawealthy to transform what are now known as Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Key West into a previously unimaginable enclave for conspicuous consumption. Flagler dominates the narrative for a stretch of pages, as does architect Addison Mizner, who was famous for his Mediterranean revival and Spanish colonial revival styles. The other main character is heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, who was most responsible for the design, construction, and legend of Mar-a-Lago. Post collected lovers and husbands, but arguably the most significant was her husband E.F. Hutton, the wealthy financier. Mar-a-Lago served as a Post-Hutton showplace, boasting 62,500 square feet and 128 rooms. For the most part, it gained renown because of its style and setting rather than its size; after all, it wasn't nearly the largest mansion in the area. Standiford likes to compare and contrast the sizes and styles of the mansions as he offers background about their owners. For readers who never tire of reading about extreme wealth, the book will hold endless fascination. Others, however, may lose interest partway through. Unsurprisingly, Standiford offers a negative portrayal of Trump, chronicling his controversial purchase and the many ugly battles that ensued.
During this era of extreme income inequality, much of the narrative is antiquated and irrelevant except for the Trump connection.
