The book is AS NEW inside; the book jacket has wear 'n tear at top (taped) 349 fascinating pages filled with black & white photographs (thirty two pages full!). It is Robert Lacey's special gift for conveying both the sweep of historical event and the nuance of individual lives that elevates his book into a special category. MAJESTY is a privilege, and a joy, to read!

 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 0151556849 / 9780151556847
Hard Cover Very Good Condition Very Good w/shelf Wear Edges Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. out of Print 

Price: 34.30 USD

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 Sotheby's only significant adversary, Christie's, the "other" auction house. He 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

Lacey adds the story of Sotheby's to a long list of many subjects he has written about, including Henry VIII (The Life and Times of Henry VIII, LJ 7/74), Princess Grace (Grace, G.K. Hall, 1996), and Meyer Lansky (Little Man, LJ 10/1/91), in books that incorporate meticulous historical research, fine storytelling, and a very readable style.

This history of Sotheby's auction house employs the same style and provides a rich story that begins in 1734, when Samuel Baker, a book dealer, issued his first catalog. Lacey takes the reader through the years chronicling the inside activities of partners (such as John Sotheby and progenitors) beginning in 1778; details behind major sales such as Napoleon's books, the Barrett-Browning letters, and items from the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; and relationships with famous clients, along with its major competitor, Christie's. This fast-paced read examines one of the world's most fascinating enterprises. Recommended for public and academic libraries.

adds the story of Sotheby's to a long list of many subjects he has written about, including Henry VIII, ), Princess Grace , and Meyer Lansky , in books that incorporate meticulous historical research, fine storytelling, and a very readable style. This history of Sotheby's auction house employs the same style and provides a rich story that begins in 1734, when Samuel Baker, a book dealer, issued his first catalog. Lacey takes the reader through the years chronicling the inside activities of partners (such as John Sotheby and progenitors) beginning in 1778; details behind major sales such as Napoleon's books, the Barrett-Browning letters, and items from the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; and relationships with famous clients, along with its major competitor, Christie's. This fast-paced read examines one of the world's most fascinating enterprises. Recommended for public and academic libraries. --Steven J. Mayover, Free Library of Philadelphia Lacey adds the story of Sotheby's to a long list of many subjects he has written about, including Henry VIII (The Life and Times of Henry VIII, LJ 7/74), Princess Grace (Grace, G.K. Hall, 1996), and Meyer Lansky (Little Man, LJ 10/1/91), in books that incorporate meticulous historical research, fine storytelling, and a very readable style. This history of Sotheby's auction house employs the same style and provides a rich story that begins in 1734, when Samuel Baker, a book dealer, issued his first catalog. Lacey takes the reader through the years chronicling the inside activities of partners...

 Little, Brown & Company 0316511390 / 9780316511391
Hardcover As New Condition Boston 

Price: 24.30 USD