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When the Astors Owned New York: Blue Bloods and Grand Hotels in a Gilded Age Paperback – Illustrated, June 26, 2007

by Justin Kaplan (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 1,273 ratings
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In this marvelous anecdotal history, Justin Kaplan––Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of Mark Twain––vividly brings to life a grand story from the glittering Gilded Age.

Endowed with the largest private fortunes of their day, cousins John Jacob Astor IV and William Waldorf Astor vied for primacy in New York society, producing the grandest hotels ever seen in a marriage of ostentation and efficiency that transformed American social behavior.

Kaplan exposes it all in exquisite detail, taking readers from the 1890s to the Roaring Twenties in a combination of biography, history, architectural appreciation, and pure reading pleasure
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  1. Print length
    208 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  4. Publication date
    June 26, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    0.5 x 5.47 x 8.46 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0452288584
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0452288584
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A gem of a book . . . No one since [Henry] James has written with such ease and grace about the era of excess as Kaplan. (Megan Marshall, author of The Peabody Sisters)

Mr. Kaplan, a dazzling stylist, is perfectly suited to his subject: what Henry James lovingly called æhotel civilizationæ . . . [A] splendid book about a bygone age that has not quite gone away. (The New York Sun)

About the Author

Justin Kaplan was an editor, biographer, and author of Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain and Walt Whitman: A Life, among other books. He was a member of the American Academy of  Arts and Letters. He died in 2014.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Reprint edition (June 26, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0452288584
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0452288584
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.5 x 5.47 x 8.46 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 1,273 ratings

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Justin Kaplan

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
1,273 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book interesting and enjoyable. They appreciate the historical content, including details about the era and upper-class lives. The book provides a fascinating glimpse into times that will never come again, with lovely photos and a great glimpse of New York City and the development of Grand Hotels.

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ReadabilityHistorical contentDetail
80 customers mention "Readability"71 positive9 negative

Customers enjoyed the book and found it interesting. They found it well-written and organized, with nice personal details. Readers found the truth more engaging than fiction.

"Lked it because it was a Biography...." Read more

"...That said , I did enjoy the book and learned some interesting background on the Astors and the author stimulated my curiosity to know more so from..." Read more

"Beautifully written, I have read other texts and novels about the Astors" Read more

"This book kept me enthralled though-out. Those people were ruthless---slumlords, through and through---the decadence and the poverty...." Read more

64 customers mention "Historical content"56 positive8 negative

Customers find the historical content interesting and informative. It provides a good insight into upper-class lives and the Astors' role in the hotel business. Readers describe the book as an easy, enjoyable read with personal details about the family.

"...The author told it like a novel but it was a biography which I like better than a novel so there was nothing to complain about I am enjoying it." Read more

"...As an outline it has enough information about the family and the lavish hotels they built to give a general reader the gist of their influence on..." Read more

"...This book, at times, highlighted the life of the family members (only to the 3rd generation); however, much of the focus was just towards their..." Read more

"...A well written and organized read with some nice juicy personal tidbits and descriptions of each member of the dynasty." Read more

7 customers mention "Detail"5 positive2 negative

Customers appreciate the book's detail. They find it interesting and a great glimpse of times that will never come again. The depiction of the Astor family in NYC is fantastic, and they find the apartment and home layouts very interesting. The photos are lovely, and the book provides a nice overview of New York City and the development of Grand Hotels.

"...It was a complete book with lovely photos. Why doesn't Kindle tell it's readers that this is not really a book...." Read more

"A fantastic depiction of the 2 branches of the Astor family of NYC. The book is interesting, comprehensive and very entertaining to read...." Read more

"...Book itself was a little too detailed in its architectural details (author) for me but still will recommend." Read more

"Very well written. Kept my interest. Fascinating look at times that will never come around again." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Sharon Adams
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book still reading it
    Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Lked it because it was a Biography. The author told it like a novel but it was a biography which I like better than a novel so there was nothing to complain about I am enjoying it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • R. J. Marsella
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting If Somewhat Too Brief History Of The Astor Family
    Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This relatively slimmed down version of the Astor family's rise to financial prominence frustrated as well as informed me. As an outline it has enough information about the family and the lavish hotels they built to give a general reader the gist of their influence on the shape and lifestyle of New York high society in the turn of the 20th century period. The rivalry between the two wealthy cousins and their individual eccentricities are well covered. So much more could have been included on some of the more interesting episodes of the family history that were almost strangely glossed over by the author. I found myself looking up things to supplement my understanding frequently because the book left me hanging on some of the most intriguing aspects of this story.
    That said , I did enjoy the book and learned some interesting background on the Astors and the author stimulated my curiosity to know more so from that perspective this was a worthwhile read. I think a more in depth treatment of the subjects here would have been warranted.
    43 people found this helpful
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  • Lynn H. Beam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Greed is Overwhelming
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Beautifully written, I have read other texts and novels about the Astors
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  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not nearly enough information
    Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I wish I had paid more attention to the size of this book before purchasing. At 181 pages it is more term paper and less historic reference. The author rushes through as if time was of the essence and spends little or no time on details about the lives, homes, opulence or even the period of time we are supposed to be covering. To say that the Astor son was a collector of mass quantities of important books, coins, museum pieces and little more or describe one lavish dinner and no other left me wondering why anyone would attend. Yes, I know that 125 caterers ( If you can believe that many existed in early New York) were summoned to attend to the Astor parties but, come on, there has to be more than just a menu and tiny guest list. These were historic moments written about in International journals and newspapers. Did anyone sing? Entertain? Or were we to be left to imagine a hundred guests or more, without even knowing their dress, sitting around a table silently eating and drinking and then going on home? With so few photographs of the homes and interiors, I was left hoping that some of it would be described. Sorry, but I was not a fan and now I am on the lookout for another that will transport me back to that time and fill in my imagination with more details.
    94 people found this helpful
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  • VV
    5.0 out of 5 stars NY Elite With Historical Insight!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I knew about John Jacob Aster going down with the Titanic’s sinking…leaving his very pregnant mistress to survive, by taking a seat in a lifeboat.
    It’s always interesting to read about the people in NY, who were born into “old money families”, during the Guilded Age. Quick & easy read.
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  • SArmst2547
    4.0 out of 5 stars A peppy, lightly humorous history of a faded grand family--and how they faded
    Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Normally I'm not a great fan of wealthy family biographies or histories, even though their subjects and accomplishments are notable. But I liked this book because it had a tender and lightly ironic take on the John Jacob Astor family and their struggles. The struggles were as big as their narcissism and lousy choices of first spouses and projects to work on. In four generations they had essentially dissipated a fortune thought to be the largest in New York, and the United States, in the fastest growing city in the county from 1770 onward. And they built buildings, big hotels, places of gathering and good food and wine and money where the three-piece suiters could work out deals or arrange soirrees.

    My father worked in New York and ate amid the celebated at the Waldorf-Astoria several times a year. Some times he took his entertaining elsewhere, to various clubs for another gathering. These were uppermiddle class gatherings where I was always seated next to some great aunt who wanted to know all about my studies or my schools, or girlfriends (I had none, thankfully) and I barely had the the vocabulary to talk to them. The lesson of these gatherings is to plan your conversations with great aunts in some detail beforehand, so as not to gt knocked back into conversational cul de sacs. Be interesting, be interested, and ask questions--good for a very nice meal.

    Over roughly four generations of overplanning and lack of coordinations, the Waldorfs and Astorias built some great places, as well as their personal palaces, but changes in the market--and very little new land in New York to trade or buy--absolutely undercut was was a gloriously and profoundly wastrel family.

    The last thing the Astor family did for New York was to protet their Episcopal Church in New York from building an office tower 50 or 60 stories over their church in New York. The Supreme Court sided with the Astors, and St. Bartholomew's remains today without the sixty-story spike above it. The Supremes decided that the air above a historical landmark like St. Bartholomew's is part of the landmark itself, so the looming office tower could not be built.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Screaming Nurse
    5.0 out of 5 stars You can never be too rich...
    Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This book kept me enthralled though-out. Those people were ruthless---slumlords, through and through---the decadence and the poverty. I kept going back and forth---I would have loved to live in the gilded age of New York, but then, I was so appalled by the slums and the poverty. Money corrupts, just as power does. I find the ones born into it are worse than the ones who worked for it. Though, the ones who worked for it aren't any better once they get used to it.

    The beginning, with Astor going down with the Titanic---THAT is a gentleman. It really didn't matter what he did before, what any of them did before. They owned up to being a man and went down with the ship---unlike several other men that jumped ship. I just keep thinking about that coward that left his girlfriend and two children in the movie theater and a complete stranger was wounded protecting them!! How can there be such cowards and such honor at the same time?

    I enjoyed it immensely and it is a very fast read. I look forward to other books on this time period.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • anthony j buchanan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Fantastic booj
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  • n a middleton-adams
    5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Wonderful read so informative
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  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Leitura fascinante
    Reviewed in Brazil on October 12, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Um meio divertido e eficiente para entender como as grandes fortunas dos EUA nasceram e aplicaram seus recursos. A família Astor chegou a ser proprietária de praticamente toda Manhattan. O autor é ganhador de um Pulitzer.
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  • Susan Skaarup
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very imformative
    Reviewed in Canada on April 10, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Using the information as preparation for our visit to the Robber Baron Mansions on the Hudson. Recommended Read. Very informative.
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  • Maisie Katt
    3.0 out of 5 stars When the Astors Owned New York
    Reviewed in Canada on October 15, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I couldn't finish the small book, as I couldn't keep up with names, places and I guess I lost my interest in the rich
    early in the book. Not sure what I thought it would be all about, but wasn't the story line I usually like to follow along with and easy to follow. Guess I was too tired to grasp the whole book
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