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The Big Rich The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes Bryan Burrough 9781594201998 Books

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The Big Rich The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes Bryan Burrough 9781594201998 Books

This is a relatively entertaining and educational look at the mega-fortunes built through the discovery and exploitation of oil and gas in Texas in the early years of the 20th century. The four individuals who make up the lion's share of the work; Hugh Cullen, Sid Richardson, Clint Murchison and H. L. Hunt, are profiled from their early years, through their wealth building phase and then, in most cases through a period of wealth dissipation generally accomplished by their heirs.

The book touches upon the social, political and economic background of the country at large and the state of Texas in particular, as the discovery of oil and the rise of the automobile (and subsequently the OPEC oil embargo) act in concert to generate truly outrageous sums of money concentrated in relatively few hands. That those hands turned out to be in most cases relatively uneducated, bigoted spendthrifts only makes the story that much more entertaining.

Many of the actors were passingly familiar to me (Nelson Bunker Hunt in particular), though surprisingly, some I'd never heard of, despite their compelling stories and huge fortunes. To be honest, most of the major players were well before my time and much of the money had been squandered by the time I was grown. Again, a moderately entertaining work and a history lesson of some value.


Tags : The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes [Bryan Burrough] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. An epic account of how Texas oil transformed wealth and power in America is presented through the stories of the state's four most influential oil families,Bryan Burrough,The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes,Penguin Press HC, The,1594201994,Petroleum,United States - 20th Century,Petroleum industry and trade;Texas;Biography.,Petroleum industry;Texas;Biography.,Biography,Business & Economics,Business Economics Finance,Corporate & Business History - General,GENERAL,General Adult,History,History United States 20th Century,HistoryAmerican,History: American,Industries - Energy Industries,Non-Fiction,PETROLEUM INDUSTRIES (ECONOMIC ASPECTS),Petroleum industry and trade,TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING Petroleum,TEXAS - LOCAL HISTORY,Texas,United States

The Big Rich The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes Bryan Burrough 9781594201998 Books Reviews

A lot of interesting information and most of it new to me, which usually is a plus for any book I read. However, the book does turn to run on quite a bit on parts that, frankly, I didn't think were that interesting. I suspect that if I were from Texas, my score might have been higher by a star because of the familiarity of some names and events in the lore of the state. The book isn't only about oil, but about the amazing development of a state in terms of economics and power at the national level. The story goes right on through to the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Oilers, of whose origins and ownership I knew very little about. I recommend it if you're into that kind of story...of incredible wealth, made, spent, made again and how succeeding generations either squandered it or enhanced it.
This is the one best book you can find on how the great oil fortunes of TX were built. This is a monumental work on the subject. I live in TX, and it's truly a tale of history of our state as seen from the oil industry. TX oil fortunes have affected our world on many levels.
Brilliant job, readable, and you won't put it down. I bought a copy just to reread. It's quite a primer on oil power and politics.

I highly recommend it for anyone interested in TX history or business history. A classic work destined to be read for years to come.
WOW! I started my career with an oil and gas attorney in San Angelo, Texas, in the late 1950s, and have continued my entire career in that world, ending up a landman in Midland, Texas. Embedded in that culture, of course, I knew of the Texas Oil families (I also happen to be an original Kansas City Chiefs' fan), but had no idea of the coziness of these landed gentry (oil acreage)and politicians, influencing national policies for their own benefit to the detriment of others, perhaps the forerunner of today's political mess.

Over the years I did see, from the inside, the manipulations of banks and markets by "oil people" - it wasn't pretty!!!!

At any rate, Bryan Burrough has, almost with photographic skill, written a real-life scenario comparable to any suspenseful mystery writer of today - I could not put the book down, staying up late at night wanting to know how it all worked out.

CAVEAT NOT ALL TEXANS ARE INSANE - JUST THOSE TO WHOM MONEY/POWER IS/ARE GOD !!!!

HGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!
For anyone who is interested in the oil and gas industry, particular in Texas, this book is a "must read." It chronicles the lives of four of Texas' most successful oil men, Hugh Roy Cullen of Houston, Sid Richardson of Fort Worth, and Clint Murchison and H. L. Hunt of Dallas. Each was unique, and each is a story unto himself. According to the book, each may have been the wealthiest person the U. S. at one time or another. The book follows their histories, their forays into politics and the ways they chose to spend their fortunes.

The book then turns to the second generations. Roy Cullen had a grandson who was Italian nobility with a colorful lifestyle. Clint Murchison's two sons were opposite personalities but who spent most of their adult lives as equal partners who owned the Dallas Cowboys among many other things. Sid Richardson never married, and a large share of his estate was bequeathed to his nephew, Perry Bass, and
Basses' sons. Among their investments has been the revitalization of downtown Fort Worth. Finally, there are the children of H. L. Hunt who fathered three separate families at the same time. His first family included sons Bunker and Herbert who tried to corner the silver market, and Lamar who founded the American Football League and the team that is now the Kansas City Chiefs. Hunt's second family included son Ray who has taken a relatively small inheritance and turned it into an international oil and real estate empire. Hunt's third family had to finally sue for a share of Hunt's estate and are otherwise little known.

Much of the book might be described as gossip but for the fact that its all true and well documented. To say that the Big Rich were larger than life would be a gross understatement.
This is a relatively entertaining and educational look at the mega-fortunes built through the discovery and exploitation of oil and gas in Texas in the early years of the 20th century. The four individuals who make up the lion's share of the work; Hugh Cullen, Sid Richardson, Clint Murchison and H. L. Hunt, are profiled from their early years, through their wealth building phase and then, in most cases through a period of wealth dissipation generally accomplished by their heirs.

The book touches upon the social, political and economic background of the country at large and the state of Texas in particular, as the discovery of oil and the rise of the automobile (and subsequently the OPEC oil embargo) act in concert to generate truly outrageous sums of money concentrated in relatively few hands. That those hands turned out to be in most cases relatively uneducated, bigoted spendthrifts only makes the story that much more entertaining.

Many of the actors were passingly familiar to me (Nelson Bunker Hunt in particular), though surprisingly, some I'd never heard of, despite their compelling stories and huge fortunes. To be honest, most of the major players were well before my time and much of the money had been squandered by the time I was grown. Again, a moderately entertaining work and a history lesson of some value.