{"product_id":"a-disposition-to-be-rich-ferdinand-ward-the-greatest-swindler-of-the-gilded-age-9780345804693","title":"A Disposition to Be Rich: Ferdinand Ward, the Greatest Swindler of the Gilded Age","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Book \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe compelling behind-the-scenes story of the greatest swindler of the Gilded Age, whose villainy bankrupted Ulysses S. Grant and stunned the world of finance--told by his great-grandson, award-winning historian Geoffrey C. Ward. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFerdinand Ward, the son of a Protestant missionary and small-town pastor, moved to New York at twenty-one and, in less than a decade, made himself the business partner of a former president and established himself as the \"Young Napoleon of Finance.\" In truth, he was running a massive pyramid scheme. Drawing from thousands of family documents never before examined, Geoffrey C. Ward traces his great-grandfather's rapid rise to riches and fame, and his even more dizzying fall from grace, in a narrative populated with mistresses, crooked bankers, corrupt New York officials, and a desperate kidnapping scheme. Here is a great story about a classic American con artist.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Knopf Publishing Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/23\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780345804693\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.97lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.10w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/28\/2013 pg. 28\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Geoffrey C. Ward","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43971914498229,"sku":"9780345804693","price":18.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_42a63c93-0723-4074-8fc2-0c47a53db457.jpg?v=1713280346","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/a-disposition-to-be-rich-ferdinand-ward-the-greatest-swindler-of-the-gilded-age-9780345804693","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}