Founder: A Portrait of the First Rothschild and His Time

Rating:
Summary: Illuminating the Myth of Rothschild
Review: Captivating either in spite of or because of it's extremely short length.

Most important thing to note about this book, other then the observation that it is a very good book, is that author really does "paint" a portrait that includes both the Man AND his time.

I felt the attention to the society of Rothschild really paid off at the end of the book. Rothschild is important not merely because he generated a truly epic amount of wealth for his family, but because he serves as a symbol of the manner in which capitalism changed the lives of those who practiced it.

Certainly, the Rothschild clan has been the focus of much anti-semitism and conspiracy theory. As a Jew, I always felt such talk was ridiculous, but I was interested to find the so-called "grain of truth" which, coupled with a long standing, virulent history of anti-semitism served to transform the Rothschilds into a focus for so much bile.

For example, the Rothschild's lent signifigant amounts of capital to the family which held the postal monopoly for the Holy Roman Empire ("Thurn and Taxis" Post). This relationship enabled the Rothschild's to take advantage of the "intelligence gathering" capabilities of the Postal system to their benefit.

This was a theme at the heart of Thomas Pynchon's excellent novel "The Crying of Lot 49". Which I recommend to those who enjoyed in this book.

Like Niall Ferguson's two part saga of the family history, this book was written in cooperation with the Rothschild family.

I recommend this book both for the portrait of the man as well as the portrait of the place and time.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting history lesson about dynasty's founding father
Review: Heard the taped version of FOUNDER: A PORTRAIT OF THE
FIRST ROTHSCHILD AND HIS TIME by Amos Elon . . . Meyer
Amschel Rotschild (1744-1812), the patriarch of the clan,
fathered five illustrious sons who made the family name a
byword for banking, fabulous wealth and Jewish philanthropy . . .yet prior to this book, I had known nothing about the dynasty's founding father . . . Jews had been severely restricted in most areas of their lives in the ghetto of Frankfurt . . .how one man was able to get beyond that impediment and succeed made for an interesting history lesson . . . I also enjoyed getting a sense
of how it was to live in the eighteenth-century.

Rating:
Summary: Model biography.
Review: Model biography about the life of the founder of the Rotschild dynasty.
Out of the Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt Meyer Rotschild became Court_factor (business manager) of the richest man in the world in late 18th/early 19th century: the landgrave of Hessen.
The starting point of his fortune were gold coin transactions with the landgrave.
After establishing his financial house in Frankfurt, he sent his sons to France and England, where his son Nathan made a fortune during the continental blockade decreed by Napoleon; he succeeded in continuing to trade illegally in English goods with a margin of 50 per cent.
Excellent picture of the Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt and of the social position of the Jews at the beginning of the 19th century. This book throws also a bleak light on the social condition of the poor, where soldiers were ruthlessly pressed into service and afterwards sold (a common business practice!) and where children were summarily hanged for stealing a loaf of bread.
A model biography: all mentioned facts are based on legal and other documents.
This book gives short shrift to all myths surrounding the origin of the Rotschild fortune.

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening and vividly dimensional portrait!
Review: Mr. Elon writes a rich, enlightening, and engrossing portrait of a pivotal figure in European history. The context of 17th-18th century Frankfurt and Europe adds dimension that has to be read. A wonderful read and a wonderful gift. Bravo!