The Bronfmans: The Rise and Fall of the House of Seagram - Hardcover

""The Bronfmans" is a wonderful addition to the library of family biographies, and in particular to the small shelf on the Canadian-grown Seagram whiskey empire. Splendidly written and researched--particularly on the alcoholic beverage side, of which Nicholas Faith is a distinguished expert--this book is a rollicking good story, a perceptive analysis of the Bronfmans' stunning business success, a tribute to their hard work and acumen--and a cautionary tale about what can happen, even to the greatest." --Michael R. Marrus, author of "Samuel Bronfman: The Life and Times of Mr. Sam" ""The Bronfmans" is an intriguing odyssey of a fabled and star-crossed celebrity family, filled with engrossing tales of the secrets of the international booze business, backroom billion-dollar shenanigans, dilettante playboys and rakes, rediscovered Jewish heritage, and an unusual champion of human rights." --Selwyn Raab, bestselling author of "Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires" Praise for Nicholas Faith's Other Books" ""The Winemakers of Bordeaux" "Anyone wanting an introduction to this inexhaustible subject will be delighted by Mr. Faith, who knows how to tell a story with vivacity." --Theodore Zeldin, author of "An Intimate History of Humanity" "An absorbing book." --Frank Prial, "The New York Times"" ""Safety in Numbers" "An interesting dossier on assorted bad judgment, chicanery, and loose practices."""--John Kenneth Galbraith "Investigative journalism of the highest order." --"Barron's"" """"Useful and readable tour through the dark side of Swiss banking." --"BusinessWeek"

"The Bronfmans" portrays the extraordinary saga of the Bronfman family, and above all, their patriarch Sam, the greatest figure in the history of liquor, the man who made drinking whiskey respectable and who built the first global empire of alcohol. From Sam's death, the book then recounts with lavish detail the soap operaish struggle of his brothers and heirs for control. The mantle is finally passed to his son Edgar, who masterminds a major coup when he translates a small investment in oil into a twenty-five percent stake in the mighty DuPont company. But in the 1990s, Edgar allowed his son Edgar Jr. to play media tycoon. The stake in DuPont was sold, and the money reinvested in Universal - which was practically given away in a merger with French media giant Vivendi. When the bubble burst, the family lost Seagram's and untold fortune. With revealing interviews from family members and confidants, "The Bronfmans" is an amazing story of bootlegging billionaires, and business folly.