--- product_id: 303081467 title: "Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty" price: "R155" currency: ZAR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/303081467-vanderbilt-the-rise-and-fall-of-an-american-dynasty store_origin: ZA region: South Africa --- # Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty **Price:** R155 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty - **How much does it cost?** R155 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.za](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/303081467-vanderbilt-the-rise-and-fall-of-an-american-dynasty) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description New York Times bestselling author and journalist Anderson Cooper teams with New York Times bestselling historian and novelist Katherine Howe to chronicle the rise and fall of a legendary American dynasty—his mother’s family, the Vanderbilts. When eleven-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt began to work on his father’s small boat ferrying supplies in New York Harbor at the beginning of the nineteenth century, no one could have imagined that one day he would, through ruthlessness, cunning, and a pathological desire for money, build two empires—one in shipping and another in railroads—that would make him the richest man in America. His staggering fortune was fought over by his heirs after his death in 1877, sowing familial discord that would never fully heal. Though his son Billy doubled the money left by “the Commodore,” subsequent generations competed to find new and ever more extraordinary ways of spending it. By 2018, when the last Vanderbilt was forced out of The Breakers—the seventy-room summer estate in Newport, Rhode Island, that Cornelius’s grandson and namesake had built—the family would have been unrecognizable to the tycoon who started it all. Now, the Commodore’s great-great-great-grandson Anderson Cooper, joins with historian Katherine Howe to explore the story of his legendary family and their outsized influence. Cooper and Howe breathe life into the ancestors who built the family’s empire, basked in the Commodore’s wealth, hosted lavish galas, and became synonymous with unfettered American capitalism and high society. Moving from the hardscrabble wharves of old Manhattan to the lavish drawing rooms of Gilded Age Fifth Avenue, from the ornate summer palaces of Newport to the courts of Europe, and all the way to modern-day New York, Cooper and Howe wryly recount the triumphs and tragedies of an American dynasty unlike any other. Written with a unique insider’s viewpoint, this is a rollicking, quintessentially American history as remarkable as the family it so vividly captures. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook. Review: Excellent Book! - Anderson Cooper is a skilled writer, bringing the past and it’s people, and places to life. The stories are real and is filled with poignant reminders of lives lived they had not chosen, but adapted and thrived in spite of that. I know his mother would be so proud. He is multitalented, and a succinct and interesting writer. I also read his book on the Astors, which I also recommend! Review: An insider’s genealogical history of the Vanderbilts - This book provides a bit of an insider’s perspective that sets it apart from other histories about the fabled Vanderbilt family. It’s written by famed journalist Anderson Cooper, who is himself part of the Vanderbilt family. Cooper doesn’t provide a glossy romanticized version of his family’s story. The family had tremendous wealth (at one point, their financial founder, Cornelius Vanderbilt, was the wealthiest man in the world). Yet, while unfathomable wealth was at the family’s disposal, profligate, uncontrollable spending over the generations has dissipated the family fortunes nearly entirely. For example in just six generations (and in some lines less) the money is largely gone. Yet, when one is a Vanderbilt, I suspect that connection and financial resources are available that the typical person doesn’t have access to. If you pick up this book thinking it will be a thorough family history, you’ll be mistaken. Instead, Cooper highlights family members from each generation to recount an aspect of their story, but all done to show the early rise and eventual fall of family fortunes. From that perspective this book is uniquely interesting. If you crave a more traditional history of the family, I recommend Fortune’s Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt by Arthur T. Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt family history is interwoven throughout much of US history. But its financial decline also is part of that story as well. As Cooper shows from his insider perspective, great wealth is nearly impossible to sustain over many generations. ## Images ![Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81l2n+8PlFL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Book! *by D***R on August 23, 2026* Anderson Cooper is a skilled writer, bringing the past and it’s people, and places to life. The stories are real and is filled with poignant reminders of lives lived they had not chosen, but adapted and thrived in spite of that. I know his mother would be so proud. He is multitalented, and a succinct and interesting writer. I also read his book on the Astors, which I also recommend! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ An insider’s genealogical history of the Vanderbilts *by K***S on February 14, 2025* This book provides a bit of an insider’s perspective that sets it apart from other histories about the fabled Vanderbilt family. It’s written by famed journalist Anderson Cooper, who is himself part of the Vanderbilt family. Cooper doesn’t provide a glossy romanticized version of his family’s story. The family had tremendous wealth (at one point, their financial founder, Cornelius Vanderbilt, was the wealthiest man in the world). Yet, while unfathomable wealth was at the family’s disposal, profligate, uncontrollable spending over the generations has dissipated the family fortunes nearly entirely. For example in just six generations (and in some lines less) the money is largely gone. Yet, when one is a Vanderbilt, I suspect that connection and financial resources are available that the typical person doesn’t have access to. If you pick up this book thinking it will be a thorough family history, you’ll be mistaken. Instead, Cooper highlights family members from each generation to recount an aspect of their story, but all done to show the early rise and eventual fall of family fortunes. From that perspective this book is uniquely interesting. If you crave a more traditional history of the family, I recommend Fortune’s Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt by Arthur T. Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt family history is interwoven throughout much of US history. But its financial decline also is part of that story as well. As Cooper shows from his insider perspective, great wealth is nearly impossible to sustain over many generations. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ a great read *by A***R on August 21, 2026* Beautifully told history of The Vanderbilt family and their impact on New York. It moves along through the vagaries of time quickly and keeps a sense of humour in the narrative. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/303081467-vanderbilt-the-rise-and-fall-of-an-american-dynasty](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/303081467-vanderbilt-the-rise-and-fall-of-an-american-dynasty) --- *Product available on Desertcart South Africa* *Store origin: ZA* *Last updated: 2026-10-15*