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Diamonds and Deadlines

A Tale of Greed, Deceit, and a Female Tycoon in New York City’s Gilded Age
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( 515 ratings, 88 reviews)
Brief Description
Among the fabled tycoons of the Gilded Age—Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt—lies a forgotten figure: Mrs. Frank Leslie. For 20 years, she ran the country’s largest publishing company, Frank Leslie Publishing, which chronicled postbellum America in dozens of weeklies and monthlies. A pioneer in an all-male industry, she... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3499
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"An appropriately twisty tale of someone trying to outrun her origins. . . . Her story sparkles, as intoxicating as a champagne fountain that somebody else is paying for." -New York Times Book Review

“An appropriately twisty tale of someone trying to outrun her origins. . . . Her story sparkles, as intoxicating as a champagne fountain that somebody else is paying for.” —New York Times Book Review

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Among the fabled tycoons of the Gilded Age—Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt—lies a forgotten figure: Mrs. Frank Leslie. For 20 years, she ran the country’s largest publishing company, Frank Leslie Publishing, which chronicled postbellum America in dozens of weeklies and monthlies.

A pioneer in an all-male industry, she made a fortune and became a national celebrity and tastemaker in the process. But Miriam Leslie was also a byword for scandal. She flouted feminine convention, took lovers, married four times, and harbored unsavory secrets that she concealed through a skein of lies and multiple personas.

Both during and after her lifetime, glimpses of the truth emerged, including an illegitimate birth and a checkered youth.

In Diamonds and Deadlines by Betsy Prioleau, this remarkable woman's life comes to light, revealing her impactful role and tumultuous existence during the Gilded Age.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781419770890

Publisher: Abrams

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 18 January 2024

Country: United States

Imprint: Abrams Press

Illustration: 25-30 black-and-white images in one insert

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 174g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Betsy Prioleau is an author, radio personality, and cultural historian. She received a PhD in American literature at Duke University, then went on to teach English and world literature at Manhattan College, where she was a tenured associate professor. She was a scholar in residence at New York University, and most recently taught cultural history at the New York University Liberal Studies Program. She is the author of Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them and Seductress: Women Who Ravished the World and Their Lost Art of Love. Prioleau lives in New York.

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  • Diamonds and Deadlines: A Tale of Greed, Deceit, and a Female Tycoon in the Gilded Age
    Among the fabled tycoons of the Gilded Age—Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt—is a forgotten figure: Mrs. Frank Leslie. For twenty years she ran the country's largest publishing company, Frank Leslie Publishing, which chronicled postbellum America in dozens of weeklies and monthlies. A pioneer in an all-male industry, she made a fortune and became a national celebrity and tastemaker in the process. But...
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