{"product_id":"9781579124359","title":"Our Crowd: The Great Jewish Families of New York (Common Reader Classic Bestseller Series)","description":"\"As a novelist,\" Stephen Birmingham writes, \"my interest has always been in the romance of people,\" and in \u003ci\u003eOur Crowd\u003c\/i\u003e he pursues that romance into the halls of wealth and privilege, tracing the complex network of love, money, and tradition built by the great Jewish families of New York: Seligman and Guggenheim, Lewisohn and Loeb, Lehman and Kuhn, Abraham and Straus, Goldman, Sachs, and more. The \"romance\" of the people who populate these pages is absorbing indeed, for the history and anecdotes Birmingham has gathered—the mergers and marriages, gossip and grudges he chronicles—are vivid enough to enliven a hundred novels.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs we follow the founders and their families on historical, economic, and social itineraries—from Germany to America, from peddler to merchant to banker, from Wall Street offices to Fifth Avenue mansions or Long Island chateaux—Birmingham is a lively guide, fashioning a fascinating composite portrait from his research in diaries, letters, and personal reminiscences. While he deftly recounts the exploits and accomplishments of industrious achievers, Birmingham is especially alert to humor and eccentricity, and every reader is sure to find his own favorite character in the author's vivid gallery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eStephen Birmingham\u003c\/b\u003e was born in 1930 in Hartford, Connecticut. A graduate of the Hotchkiss School and Williams College, he is the author of several novels and a number of works of non-fiction with a special focus on America's privileged classes. In addition to \u003ci\u003eOur Crowd\u003c\/i\u003e these include \u003ci\u003eThe Right People, The Grandees\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLife at the Dakota\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A fascinating and absorbing chapter of New York social and financial history—it is hard to understand why it has never been written before.\"\u003cbr\u003e—Louis Auchincloss\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Future American histories will have to take into account Mr. Birmingham's financial and social history and imposing cast of characters.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Black Dog \u0026 Leventhal Publishers, Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47036236464368,"sku":"9781579124359","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781579124359_p0.jpg?v=1763779589","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781579124359","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}