Max Gunther’s classic study of the super rich - now back in a new edition. The Very, Very Rich and How They Got That Way provides revealing insights into the intriguing world of big money, recounting the spectacular success stories of 15 people who made it to the very, very top. In 1972, Max Gunther invited readers to take a journey with him through a gallery of America's most prominent millionaires. The inhabitants framed here are by no means merely ordinary millionaires, though - the minimum qualifying standard to be considered for inclusion was ownership of assets valued at $100 million or more (the equivalent of $650 million today). This classic is now nearly 50 years old but its value endures, since the key steps on the route to wealth do not change with time. These secrets can be learned from, adapted and applied by anyone today.

In this book you will meet three dozen impatient people. They weren't satisfied with the slow, plodding, money-saving route to financial security, the safe route that most of us feel stuck with. They wanted instant wealth - and they got it. As Max Gunther points out, our folklore frowns on the idea of quick money. As in the fable about the race between a tortoise and a hare. "In the fable, the hare loses. The stories in this book are not fables. They are true. In these stories, the hares win." They are a richly varied lot, these happy hares. Gunther opens with a few dazzling millionaire legends, such as the man who invented Monopoly. You'll then meet fascinating characters such as: Harvey Shuster, who beat the stock market; Howard Brown, who decided to be rich and became a multi-millionaire within three years; and a group of men who made fast fortunes on fads such as the Hula Hoop and the Frisbee. These stores illustrate that the dream of quick money isn't such a ridiculous dream after all. Read these tales about hares who have won and when you have, maybe you'll decide to run with them.

Max Gunther's classic text with a new foreword by Gautam Baid. Luck. We can't see it, or touch it, but we can feel it. We all know it when we experience it. But does it go deeper than this? And if it goes deeper, does it do so in any way which we can harness to our own and others' advantage? Taking us on a fascinating tour through the more popular theories and histories of luck - from pseudoscience to paganism, mathematicians to magicians - Max Gunther arrives at a careful set of scientific conclusions as to the true nature of luck, and the possibility of managing it. Drawing out the logical truths hidden in some examples of outrageous fortune (and some of the seemingly absurd theories of its origins), he presents readers with the concise formulae that make up what he calls the 'Luck Factor' - the five traits that lucky people have in common - and shows how anyone can improve their luck.

Max Gunther's lost classic, now in a new Classics edition. Some people think you're either born lucky or not. But what if you could actively get lucky? As Max Gunther shows in this page-turning classic, some people really are luckier than others - and not by accident. Lucky people arrange their lives in characteristic patterns. They tend to position themselves in the path of onrushing luck; they tend to go where events are moving fastest and where they can find their lucky break Lucky people take risks but not silly ones. They stick with a cause, a job, or a partner, but not when all hope is lost. In short, they move with life, not against it. This book gives you 13 different techniques by which you can discover and take advantage of life's good breaks, while minimising the effects of its bad ones.

Offers advice on investment strategy and risk management, clears up common misconceptions about the stock market, and discusses economic forecasts and long-range planning.

From Madame de Pompadour, the famed mistress of Louis XV, to Pamela Harriman, who married into the English aristocracy and the American plutocracy, there is a rich history of women who have found glamour and wealth in the arms of a billionaire. But contrary to what you may think, fortune hunting is no idle pursuit. Like diving for treasure, it's a real job. Some women strive to be CEOs; others prefer to wed them. You'll meet today's dazzling successes in this book. What kind of woman does it take to make the Midas marriage? Exploring the lives of the great fortune hunters of our day, reporter and former gossip columnist Charlotte Hays answers this tantalizing question. You'll learn about the South Carolina woman who took a trip around the world with a shadowy shipping magnate, only to meet and marry a philandering marquis. You'll see what methods these women use to lure their powerful men, including one playful fortune seeker who, at a very high-society soirée, hurled a piece of bread at her intended beau, starting a food fight. You'll meet the New York socialite who remarried so quickly after a divorce, her ex claimed she was a bigamist. What are their recipes for riches? Can a genuinely nice woman pursue this career? What does love have to do with it? With original interviews and photos, Hays casts a light on the determination, skill, and---yes, sometimes---ruthlessness that have shaped some of the most successful---and lucrative---unions of our time.

Do you want to be one of the lucky ones? Luck. We can't see it or touch it, but we can feel it. Luck is a largely unexplored phenomenon, because many believe it to be uncontrollable. But what if luck could be influenced? What if it were possible to harness it to our own advantage? Taking us on a richly anecdotal ride through the popular theories and histories of luck -- from pseudoscience to paganism, through mathematics to magic -- Max Gunther arrives at a precise set of conclusions as to the nature of luck and the possibility of managing it. By drawing out the logical truths hidden in the examples of outrageous fortune he shares throughout this book, Gunther presents readers with ‘The Luck Factor' -- the five traits that lucky people have in common. He then shows you how you can use this approach to improve your luck and turn your fortune around. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to change their luck -- for the better!