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Sotheby's: Bidding for Class
Robert Lacey Manufacturer: Warner Books ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0751523623 |
Book Description
Customer Reviews:
Real treat.......2007-05-12
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Sotheby's: Bidding for Class
Robert Lacey Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (T) ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0316511390 |
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Piles of money, international power plays, cutthroat business tactics, unique personalities, and the politics of social class--that should be enough for a really juicy read, don't you think? But why stop there when you can also have smuggling, Swiss bank accounts, espionage, royal families, and mansions on the Riviera? Did anyone mention art? This riveting history of Sotheby's, the world's richest auction house, has that too, of course, but mainly as a lifestyle accessory.With impeccable style, a deft touch with the telling detail, and an elegant way of delivering gossip with the proper journalistic distance, Robert Lacey has plotted a company history that reads like a thriller. There are unbusinesslike gems on nearly every page: "The tasty young ladies of 'Client Advisory' [a new Sotheby's department] were the next step in the process--the conversion of the rich and curious into solid bidders and buyers." Business and pleasure sometimes mingle: "Puzzled as to why the accounts department, which incurred regular bills for weekend overtime, was taking so long to produce figures, [the new corporate manager] asked John Cann, the director of administration, to investigate. 'They are having orgies,' Cann reported. 'They are coming in on Sundays and having sex.'"
But such stories are just the baubles on Lacey's minutely detailed history of Sotheby's rise from its humble origins in the rare-books trade of 1744 to the public company of today. Lacey is good on the art part, which, although essential to the story, is also somewhat ephemeral. He provides thoughtful cameos of the eccentric connoisseurs of old masters, Italian glass, Georgian silver, or Oriental furniture whose brilliance and sensitivity gave the auction business its special cachet. Of the highborn Peter Wilson, Sotheby's longtime chairman and a legend in every corner of the art world, for example, Lacey writes: "He would roll a carved ivory netsuke worth a few pounds between his fingers with the same delight with which he greeted an old master worth tens of thousands, for the secret of PCW's eye was his ability to be genuinely interested in almost anything." In Lacey's capable hands, the reader finds every facet of this story equally spellbinding. --Margaret Moorman
Book Description
After examining in his previous books the royals of England, Saudi Arabia, and Monaco, and aristocracies of commerce and crime, In this latest bestseller Sotheby's Bidding for Class, master storyteller and historian Robert Lacey, now tackles the extraordinary phenomenon of Sotheby's, the art auction house. A temple to civilized style, Sotheby's makes their money when they manage to persuade those who already have a wealth of material goods, that happiness depends upon owning still more. Collectors pay these unimaginable sums, be it for a Picasso or for Jackie O's shimmering trinkets, because, in the end, they are in searching for something beyond mere objects. They are bidding for class.In this splendid account of the world's oldest and richest auction house, Lacey brings to life the personalities, ambition, and shrewd business dealings behind the glamour and glitz. From their beginnings in eighteenth-century London as a modest book dealer, Sotheby's owes their rise to a succession of clever and colorful entrepreneurs who knew how to have known how to read the winds of economic change and have sniffed out the buyers and sellers of the moment. From the socially ambitious parson's son Montague Barlow to the endlessly charming, brilliant, and amoral aristocrat Peter Wilson to the present owner, American shopping mall magnate A. Alfred Taubman, and his flamboyant lieutenant Diana D. Brooks, the managers of Sotheby's have learned how to dress their rummage sales for the rich in a glowing patina of scholarship, taste, and social distinction.Robert Lacey reports from the inside on such recent events as the auction of the personal property of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in 1996 and Mohamed al-Fayed's sale of the goods of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in February 1998. He traces the history of the long and often bitter rivalry with Christies Sotheby's only significant adversary, Christies, the "other" auction house. He shows tells how top executives from the two houses compete in the wooing of wealthy widows and estate lawyers to grab the rights to the few artistic masterpieces left in private hands, and to uncover new categories of "collectibles" to tempt the appetite of a relentlessly consumerist world.Once again as always, Robert Lacey delivers brilliant and profound insights into the forces that have shaped our society in the irresistible and graceful narrative that readers of Majesty, Grace, The Kingdom, Ford, and Little Man have come to expect.In Sotheby'sBidding for Class, Robert Lacey has written a rich and absorbing history, both social and economic, of Sotheby's, that most patrician of workplaces. --Dominick DunneCustomer Reviews:
Spectacular Read!!.......2005-04-01
Some People Have Too Much Money.......2002-06-05
The book provides a detailed account of the start and rise of the Sotheby's auction house. The author has also through in a good amount of detail of the art objects that are being sold - at times this made the book drag a bit for me, but it was required given that was the underling currency of the business. He does a good job of teaching the reader how the process works and what went into the history of creating the process. We even get a good amount of gossip that is written in a way that makes you feel ok about reading tabloid filler.
The book starts out with the Jackie Kennedy auction and who bought what. He really makes these people out to be less then inteligent, so much so you wonder how they made their money at all. We also get a good amount of detail on the massive amounts that were paid for artwork in the 90'' and what has happened to them, and a nice detailed account how Sotheby's "Makes the Market" on the items. If it were the securities industry they would be in jail. Overall this is an interesting and fun book to read that will take you no time at all to complete.
The conversion of debris into dreams.......2000-09-03
One of Sotheby's staff found 11 tiny diamonds that had fallen from a piece of jewelry; a fair price would have been about $550. As you will learn, auction houses are nothing if not adept at being creative, whether with their accounting, or what something actually sells for, presuming it even has been sold to someone with a heartbeat. Well they took these bits of nothing, arranged them in a letter "J" and someone who I hope will never have any decision making power over my life, or anyone at Amazon, paid $17,250 for something that Sotheby's could not even claim Mrs. Onassis ever saw, touched, or knew they were hidden in the lining of a jewelry box.
The Auctioneer could not keep a straight face when just the irons from JFK'S golf clubs sold for $387,500 and the woods for $772,500. As the Author noted it takes two bidders "to make a crazy price" and the winning gentlemen in this case was Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger. I would have thought an extended family discount would have been in order.
The book is a great read for the history of the auction business, and of Sotheby's and Christie's in particular. The business they engage in has been for 250 years, "cultivating the paradox that rich people, at heart, are the neediest people of all". While the owners of these houses take the money seriously, even they speak of the contradiction that is at the heart of their business, they go to person "A" and explain you must sell now, as the market is at its peak for your object, and then pick up the other phone line and explain to person "B" that the opportunity of a lifetime is at hand.
Deception is a key to the process, no bids? pretend there are, this is called taking bids from the "Chandelier". This of course is done until the reserve is met, and some victim, i.e. client, thinks the bidding is real, and starts offering his or her own money.
You may perhaps remember those astronomical prices paid for impressionist paintings up until 1990. They have become the symbol, along with Rockefeller Center and other purchases, as examples of the Japanese economic bubble that exploded so famously. There were 20 Japanese buyers that spent from $22 million to over $100 million during the art boom of 1984-1992. Seventeen of the same twenty were to find themselves either in jail, bankrupt, or under "serious investigation".
As to the "record" prices that were paid, Mr. Saito Ryoei paid the "record" for van Gogh's "Portrait Of Dr. Gachet" at $82,500,000.00. A few nights later, possibly feeling the pinch from such extravagance, he paid the second highest number ever of $78,100,000.00 for Renoir's "Au Moulin de la Galette". But can these be considered records when both paintings were taken back in repossession?
Not to dwell, let's skip to the third "highest" price ever paid. Mr. Alan Bond paid $53,900,000.00 for van Gogh's "Irises", in 1989. Oops sorry, Sotheby's actually financed half the purchase, giving Mr. Bond the incentive to bid ever higher, which gave Sotheby's and even bigger commission as they take their piece from the selling price, so the higher the better. And like the paintings of his Japanese counterpart, this painting too was repossessed.
One has to wonder how these people ever managed to make or keep a dime. For how else does one explain a couple who paid (please sit down) $29,900.00 for a small box that was alleged to hold a piece of wedding cake of The Duke And Duchess of Windsor. How many decades before the cake would vanish, perhaps it fossilized? The couple claimed they were never going to open the box. The real question is, what difference would it make?
The book is a great read, and for those who appeared foolish, they have only themselves to blame together with the fact that the Auction business is not one known for honesty, as Sotheby's found out when they were recorded smuggling a painting, but that's another book.
There is no question that if a person has the means they can spend as they like. At some point I would suggest it would be rather difficult to look in the mirror without feeling the fool. Much of the money spent at auctions is thrown away not invested. And as far as utility, the inflating of an ego is not much of an accomplishment, legacy, or a deed well done.
A good volume - but snobbery abounds.......2000-07-12
a beautifully written elegant history.......1999-03-30
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Sotheby'S--Bidding for Class: Bidding for Class
Robert Lacey Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B0000VZEB4 |
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It's Not About the Bike/Don't Make Me Stop This Car/In the Heart of the Sea/The True Story of Colter/Sotheby's: Bidding for Class (Reader's Digest Today's Best Nonfiction, Volume 62: 2001)
Lance Armstrong , Al Roker , Nathaniel Philbrick , Rick Bass , and Robert Lacey Manufacturer: Reader's Digest Association ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000GP1WFQ |
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Sotheby's - Bidding for Class
Manufacturer: Recorded Books ProductGroup: Book Binding: Audio Cassette ASIN: 1841970131 |
Product Description
Unabridged Cassette - Library Edition. 7 audio cassettes in plastic hardcase.
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SOTHEBY'S BIDDING FOR CLASS
ROBERT LACEY Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (T) ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000OUCGNK |
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Sotheby's: Bidding for Class
Robert Lacey Manufacturer: Little Brown Company ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000OUEOXK |
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Traditional Construction Patterns: Design and Detail Rules-of-Thumb
Stephen Mouzon , and Susan Henderson Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0071416323 |
Book Description
* Graphical approach allows users to quickly visualize design solutions
* Lists the rules-of-thumb for each detail, and correct and incorrect examples of how to design or construct each detail
Customer Reviews:
fabulous book!.......2007-07-12
Invaluable Resource.......2007-05-22
Excellent Resource.......2007-04-05
Mediocre Architecture Explained .......2007-01-09
A Must Have Book.......2006-09-25
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Traditional Details for Building Restoration, Renovation, and Rehabilitation: From the 1932-1951 Editions of Architectural Graphic Standards
Charles George Ramsey , John Ray Hoke , John Belle , and Harold Reeve Sleeper Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0471529567 |
Customer Reviews:
The Best book in my library.......2002-10-30
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Drawing Traditional Buildings
Richard S. Taylor Manufacturer: Robert Hale Ltd ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0709046650 |
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Traditional Neighborhood Designs Vol. III
Jason Miller Manufacturer: HomeStyles Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1565470893 |
Book Description
Building plans and supporting feature articles for traditional neighborhood developments and urban infill developments. Includes indexes to help readers find the types of houses and buildings to suit their particular region/application.
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Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!
Katharine DeBrecht , and Jim Hummel Manufacturer: Kids Ahead ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0976726904 |
Book Description
This full-color illustrated book is a fun way for parents to teach young children the valuable lessons of conservatism. Written in simple text, readers can follow along with Tommy and Lou as they open a lemonade stand to earn money for a swing set. But when liberals start demanding that Tommy and Lou pay half their money in taxes, take down their picture of Jesus, and serve broccoli with every glass of lemonade, the young brothers experience the downside to living in Liberaland.Customer Reviews:
pretty funny.......2007-08-19
Start'em early.......2007-08-01
An hysterical introduction . . ........2007-06-03
Profoundly inappropriate .......2007-06-02
Juvenalian Satire.......2007-05-18
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Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!
Katharine DeBrecht Manufacturer: Xulon Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1594675066 |
Customer Reviews:
Idolatry of Money.......2006-04-24
Help! There are conservatives IN your bedroom!.......2006-04-23
Whiney Children Turn Out to Be Repuglicans........2006-03-22
A fun read!.......2006-03-15
Funny Book.......2006-02-22
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Suffer the little children: the grim "fun" of highly partisan kid lit. : An article from: Reason
Nick Gillespie Manufacturer: Thomson Gale ProductGroup: Book Binding: Digital ASIN: B000G1T8GU Release Date: 2007-04-06 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Reason, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1239 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
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The Best Bridal Shower Party Games (Party Games and Activities)
Cooke Manufacturer: Meadowbrook ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0671574965 |
Book Description
Make your bridal shower fun!
Here's all you need to get your bridal shower off to a fast and funny start: four pencil games that everyone will enjoy (with duplicate game sheets for eight people) plus four entertaining group activities.
Customer Reviews:
Bridal Shower games.......2007-07-22
Not for a younger crowd.......2000-03-31
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The Best Bridal Shower Party Games #1
Courtney Cooke Manufacturer: Meadowbrook Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0881662682 |
Product Description
Bridal Shower Party Games - Four pencil games with duplicate sheets for eight people puls four entertaining party activities. Lot of fun and interesting!Books:
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