A Genealogy of the Descendants of Joseph Bixby, 1621-1701 of Ipswich and Boxford, Massachusetts, Who Spell the Name Bixby, Bigsby, Byxbie |
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| Author:
| Bixby, Willard Goldthwaite |
| ISBN: | 978-1-155-07470-2 |
| Publication Date: | Mar 2010 |
| Publisher: | General Books LLC
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| Book Format: | Paperback |
| List Price: | AUD $33.79 |
Book Description:
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G. Bruce Knecht, former reporter forTheWall Street Journaland author ofThe Proving GroundandHooked, describes the creation of an outsized yacht in a sweeping narrative centered on the men and women who made it happen.Doug Von Allmen, a self-made man who grew up in a landlocked state dreaming of the ocean, was poised to build his fifth yacht, his biggest yet—a 187-foot behemoth that would cost $40 million.LadyLinda&’s...
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G. Bruce Knecht, former reporter forTheWall Street Journaland author ofThe Proving GroundandHooked, describes the creation of an outsized yacht in a sweeping narrative centered on the men and women who made it happen.Doug Von Allmen, a self-made man who grew up in a landlocked state dreaming of the ocean, was poised to build his fifth yacht, his biggest yet—a 187-foot behemoth that would cost $40 million.LadyLinda&’s interior walls were to be made from rare species of burl wood, her floors paved with onyx and exotic types of marble, her furniture custom-made, and her art specially commissioned.
But the economic crisis changed everything. Like many others, Von Allmen suddenly realized that he could no longer afford his lifestyle. Then it got worse: desperate to reverse his losses, he fell for an audacious Ponzi scheme. Would Von Allmen be able to finish the yacht? And if he did, would he be able to keep it?
In Southern Mississippi, blue collar laborers are artisans pressed on with their work. The divide between the very rich and everyone else had never been greater, but the livelihoods of the workers and yacht owners were inextricably intertwined. Even $10-an-hour employees knew that no one was ordering yachts likeLady Lindaanymore.
Knecht transports readers to a world of high seas luxury and ostentation that already seems like a bygone era. But like Tracy Kidder&’sHouse,Grand Ambitiontakes us deep inside the building process in a narrative that is ultimately focused on the individuals who piece together the yacht.