Liar's Ball The Extraordinary Saga of How One Building Broke the World's Toughest Tycoons
Produktdetaljer
Biografisk notat
VICKY WARD is the New York-based, British-born author of the New York Times bestseller The Devilâs Casino: Friendship, Betrayal, and the High-Stakes Games Played Inside Lehman Brothers (Wiley, 2010). A former contributing editor to Vanity Fair for 11 years, she is the former executive editor of Talk magazine and the former news features editor of the New York Post. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Financial Times, The Times (London), and the Daily Telegraph. She holds a masterâs in English literature from Cambridge University.
<p>"... grippingly readable." (<em>Daily Mail,</em> January 2015) </p><p>"... an enjoyably racy book." (<em>Estates Gazette,</em> October 2014) </p>
Harry Macklowe is one of the most notorious wheelers and dealers of the real estate world, and Liar's Ball is the story of the gamblers and thieves who populate his world. Watch as Harry makes the gutsy bid for midtown Manhattan's famous GM building and put almost no money down, landing the billion-dollar transaction that made him the poster child for New York's real estate royalty. Listen in on the secret conversations, back-door deals, and blackmail that put Macklowe and his cronies on topâand set them up for an enormous fall.
Vanity Fair contributing editor Vicky Ward skillfully paints the often scandalous picture of the giants who owned the New York skyline until their empires came crumbling down in the 2008 financial crisis. Based on more than 200 interviews with real estate moguls like Donald Trump, William Zeckendorf, Mort Zuckerman, and David Simon, Liar's Ball is the never-before-told story of the egomaniacal elites of New York City. Read about:
- The epic rise and fall of one of the richest American real estate barons
- Outlandish greed and cravings for power, attention, and love
- Relationships built and destroyed by vanity and gossip
- The bursting of the real estate bubble and its aftermath
This is no fictionâthis is a real life tale of extravagance, ambition, and power. Harry Macklowe ruthlessly clawed his way to the top with the help of his loyal followers, each grubbing for a piece of the real estate pie. Liar's Ball reveals their secrets and tells the tale of business as usual for this groupâlying, backstabbing, and moving in for the kill when things look patchy. From the bestselling author of The Devil's Casino comes an expos??? on the real estate elite that you'll hardly believe.
Preface ix
Cast of Characters xi
Introduction xv
Chapter 1 Stealing the Spotlight 1
Chapter 2 Alpha Males 11
Chapter 3 The Rigged Bid 21
Chapter 4 Harryâs Hero 37
Chapter 5 The Odd Couple: The English Lord and the Housewife Tycoon 49
Chapter 6 The Age of the Wolf 65
Chapter 7 Donald Trumpâs Bag Man 79
Chapter 8 The Money Hunters and the Salesman from Indianapolis 91
Chapter 9 Donaldâs âForce Majeureâ 103
Chapter 10 Paradise, Briefly 109
Chapter 11 Mr. Toadâs Wild Ride 117
Chapter 12 Tick TockâA Year on the Clock 129
Chapter 13 The Fall That Wasnât 145
Chapter 14 Aftermath 153
Note about the Sources 157
Acknowledgments 159
Notes 161
Bibliography 231
About the Author 233
Index 235
The Liarâs Ball is about the desperate scramble that ensued when the worldâs most expensive building went on the auction block. The iconic GM Building brought out the best and worst in New Yorkâs real estate royalty, and led a few of them to ruin. But as author and former Vanity Fair contributing editor Vicky Ward discovered, the story of the GM Building is about much more than real estate.
The Liarâs Ball is a story of naked, unregulated capitalism, of the sometimes bloody free-for-all of the free market. Itâs a tale of brilliant and enormously ambitious billionaires fighting bare-knuckled to get what they want. And they all wanted the GM Building.
Through over 200 interviews with real estateâs best and brightestâDonald Trump, Harry Macklowe, Samuel Zell, Mort Zuckerman, and many moreâNew York Times bestselling author Vicky Ward exposes the lies and schemes and insecurities behind the deals made by some of the worldâs biggest egos. The Liarâs Ball is the riveting real-life tale of just how far these people would go to get the money, power, and attention they so desperately crave.
Produktdetaljer
Biografisk notat
VICKY WARD is the New York-based, British-born author of the New York Times bestseller The Devilâs Casino: Friendship, Betrayal, and the High-Stakes Games Played Inside Lehman Brothers (Wiley, 2010). A former contributing editor to Vanity Fair for 11 years, she is the former executive editor of Talk magazine and the former news features editor of the New York Post. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Financial Times, The Times (London), and the Daily Telegraph. She holds a masterâs in English literature from Cambridge University.