The Liar's Ball
The Extraordinary Saga of How One Building Broke the World's Toughest Tycoons
Published on 2. October 2014
256 pages
978-1-118-41987-8 (ISBN)
Description
Inside the world of the real Great Gatsby of New York realestate
Harry Macklowe is one of the most notorious wheelers and dealersof the real estate world, and Liar's Ball is the story ofthe gamblers and thieves who populate his world. Watch as Harrymakes the gutsy bid for midtown Manhattan's famous GM building andput almost no money down, landing the billion-dollar transactionthat made him the poster child for New York's real estate royalty.Listen in on the secret conversations, back-door deals, andblackmail that put Macklowe and his cronies on top--and setthem up for an enormous fall.
Vanity Fair contributing editor Vicky Ward skillfullypaints the often scandalous picture of the giants who owned the NewYork skyline until their empires came crumbling down in the 2008financial crisis. Based on more than 200 interviews with realestate moguls like Donald Trump, William Zeckendorf, MortZuckerman, and David Simon, Liar's Ball is thenever-before-told story of the egomaniacal elites of New York City.Read about:
* The epic rise and fall of one of the richest American realestate barons
* Outlandish greed and cravings for power, attention, andlove
* Relationships built and destroyed by vanity and gossip
* The bursting of the real estate bubble and its aftermath
This is no fiction--this is a real life tale ofextravagance, ambition, and power. Harry Macklowe ruthlessly clawedhis way to the top with the help of his loyal followers, eachgrubbing for a piece of the real estate pie. Liar's Ballreveals their secrets and tells the tale of business as usual forthis group--lying, backstabbing, and moving in for the killwhen things look patchy. From the bestselling author of TheDevil's Casino comes an expos??? on the real estate elite thatyou'll hardly believe.
Harry Macklowe is one of the most notorious wheelers and dealersof the real estate world, and Liar's Ball is the story ofthe gamblers and thieves who populate his world. Watch as Harrymakes the gutsy bid for midtown Manhattan's famous GM building andput almost no money down, landing the billion-dollar transactionthat made him the poster child for New York's real estate royalty.Listen in on the secret conversations, back-door deals, andblackmail that put Macklowe and his cronies on top--and setthem up for an enormous fall.
Vanity Fair contributing editor Vicky Ward skillfullypaints the often scandalous picture of the giants who owned the NewYork skyline until their empires came crumbling down in the 2008financial crisis. Based on more than 200 interviews with realestate moguls like Donald Trump, William Zeckendorf, MortZuckerman, and David Simon, Liar's Ball is thenever-before-told story of the egomaniacal elites of New York City.Read about:
* The epic rise and fall of one of the richest American realestate barons
* Outlandish greed and cravings for power, attention, andlove
* Relationships built and destroyed by vanity and gossip
* The bursting of the real estate bubble and its aftermath
This is no fiction--this is a real life tale ofextravagance, ambition, and power. Harry Macklowe ruthlessly clawedhis way to the top with the help of his loyal followers, eachgrubbing for a piece of the real estate pie. Liar's Ballreveals their secrets and tells the tale of business as usual forthis group--lying, backstabbing, and moving in for the killwhen things look patchy. From the bestselling author of TheDevil's Casino comes an expos??? on the real estate elite thatyou'll hardly believe.
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Vicky Ward
The Liar's Ball
The Extraordinary Saga of How One Building Broke the World's Toughest Tycoons
Book
12/2014
Wiley
€30.50
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Person
VICKY WARD is the New York-based, British-born author ofthe New York Times bestseller The Devil's Casino:Friendship, Betrayal, and the High-Stakes Games Played InsideLehman Brothers (Wiley, 2010). A former contributing editor toVanity Fair for 11 years, she is the former executive editorof Talk magazine and the former news features editor of theNew York Post. Her work has appeared in the New YorkTimes, the Financial Times, The Times (London), and theDaily Telegraph. She holds a master's in English literaturefrom Cambridge University.
Content
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 Harry's Hero 37
Chapter 5 The Odd Couple: The English Lord and the HousewifeTycoon 49
Chapter 6 The Age of the Wolf 65
Chapter 7 Donald Trump's Bag Man 79
Chapter 8 The Money Hunters and the Salesman from Indianapolis91
Chapter 9 Donald's "Force Majeure" 103
Chapter 10 Paradise, Briefl y 109
Chapter 11 Mr. Toad's Wild Ride 117
Chapter 12 Tick Tock--A Year on the Clock 129
Chapter 13 The Fall That Wasn't 145
Chapter 14 Aftermath 153
Note about the Sources 157
Acknowledgments 159
Notes 161
Bibliography 231
About the Author 233
Index 235
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 Harry's Hero 37
Chapter 5 The Odd Couple: The English Lord and the HousewifeTycoon 49
Chapter 6 The Age of the Wolf 65
Chapter 7 Donald Trump's Bag Man 79
Chapter 8 The Money Hunters and the Salesman from Indianapolis91
Chapter 9 Donald's "Force Majeure" 103
Chapter 10 Paradise, Briefl y 109
Chapter 11 Mr. Toad's Wild Ride 117
Chapter 12 Tick Tock--A Year on the Clock 129
Chapter 13 The Fall That Wasn't 145
Chapter 14 Aftermath 153
Note about the Sources 157
Acknowledgments 159
Notes 161
Bibliography 231
About the Author 233
Index 235
