by James Grant ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 18, 1983
Had he anticipated the Crash, as he claimed, and sold out? ""He was not the Baruch of legend,"" concludes Barron's veteran Grant, ""but that was the only standard by which he can be said to have failed."" Focusing on Baruch's financial dealings, Grant has also produced an engaging personal portrait, informal and quietly humorous, that complements Jordan Schwarz's searching study of Baruch's public life, The Speculator (1981). In making his quick millions, Grant shows, Baruch also made mistakes--not all of which he admitted to. He was misled, for one thing, by a sentimental attachment to railroads; and he grew more cautious with the years--selling stocks before they reached their peaks, buying before they reached their depths. As for the Crash: ""Baruch was fundamentally bullish on business""; ""if he turned suddenly bearish. . . there is no record of it."" But he did manage, in Grant's intriguing reconstruction, ""to stay out of The Cleaners."" He bore his losses stoically, moreover, and cut back neither on his personal spending nor his generosity. Grant, examining the outlays as well as the intake, depicts Baruch the conspicuous spender--at Hobcaw, his baronial South Carolina plantation, and on his regular travels--and Baruch the political contributor--lured into the Democratic fold by his passion for Wilson, enduring FDR, disliked but used by Truman. On every front, Grant aims as much for figurative grasp as for biographical exactitude: ""Little by little Baruch assimilated his money until it seemed not so much a possession as a trait, like his blue eyes."" ""The fact was that Baruch was neither right nor left but electric."" ""Even world-weariness, when it came over him, had a robustness about it."" An old-fashioned sort of biography, with relish for its subject, that makes for companionable, did-you-know? reading.
Pub Date: Nov. 18, 1983
ISBN: 0471170755
Page Count: -
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: N/A
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1983
Categories: NONFICTION
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.