Arthur T. Vanderbilt

Unlike many of the great American estates that no longer exist, Florham--the historic country home of the Vanderbilt Twomblys--was transformed into a campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1958, Remaking Florham tells that story through words and pictures--from the purchase and conversion of the land and buildings to the experiences of students who attended in the initial years.

As significant as the mansion of a great Gilded Age estate like Florham, the New Jersey country home of Florence Vanderbilt Twombly, was its landscape. This book explores how that greatest of all landscape architects, Frederick Law Olmsted, visualized 1,200 acres of woodlands and scrub growth and swamps and transformed them into a magical country retreat for a family which could afford, and demanded, "the best of the best." The book includes planning drawings that illustrate specific concepts for the development of the estate and many paste and present photographs that show what was and what is. This historical record describes the origins of the estate and the people involved--from the landscape architects of Olmsted's firm to the men who dug and planted.

Major crimes in the United States reached an all-time high in 1954, exceeding the two-million mark for the third successive year. In spite of such groups as the famous Kefauver Committee, organized crime continues to entrench itself in the cities. Meanwhile, amid public apathy, the court calendars grow longer and justice is delayed. Thousands of new laws are passed each year, often without proper study, so that no lawyer today can achieve real mastery of even one major branch of his profession. In this little book, literally a challenge, Chief Justice Vanderbilt speaks out against these situations and abuses. Drawing on his experience as Chief Justice under the reformed court system provided by the 1947 New Jersey Constitution, he explains the need for reform, the importance of judicial administration, the problems of selecting judges and jurors, and the importance of legal procedure. In the matter of law reform he has long been known as a leader and fighter. In his book, originally delivered as the White Lectures at the University of Virginia Law School, he asks his readers to meet the challenge of law reform. Originally published in 1955. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Major crimes in the United States reached an all-time high in 1954, exceeding the two-million mark for the third successive year. In spite of such groups as the famous Kefauver Committee, organized crime continues to entrench itself in the cities. Meanwhile, amid public apathy, the court calendars grow longer and justice is delayed. Thousands of new laws are passed each year, often without proper study, so that no lawyer today can achieve real mastery of even one major branch of his profession. In this little book, literally a challenge, Chief Justice Vanderbilt speaks out against these situations and abuses. Drawing on his experience as Chief Justice under the reformed court system provided by the 1947 New Jersey Constitution, he explains the need for reform, the importance of judicial administration, the problems of selecting judges and jurors, and the importance of legal procedure. In the matter of law reform he has long been known as a leader and fighter. In his book, originally delivered as the White Lectures at the University of Virginia Law School, he asks his readers to meet the challenge of law reform. Originally published in 1955. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Wall Street Journal BestsellerFor fans of Downton Abbey, a real-life American version of the Crawley family--Fortune's Children is an enthralling true story that recreates the drama, splendor, and wealth of the legendary Vanderbilts. Vanderbilt: The very name is synonymous with the Gilded Age. The family patriarch, "the Commodore," built a fortune that made him the world's richest man by 1877. Yet, less than fifty years after his death, no Vanderbilt was counted among the world's richest people. Written by descendant Arthur T. Vanderbilt II, Fortune's Children traces the dramatic and amazingly colorful history of this great American family, from the rise of industrialist and philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt to the fall of his progeny--wild spendthrifts whose profligacy bankrupted a vast inheritance.

When the pirate ship Whydah went down in a violent storm just off the coast of Massachusetts in 1717, she took a huge treasury of stolen gold and jewels with her. Pieces of eight have continued to wash ashore since that ill-fated voyage, luring treasure seekers and undersea salvage experts. Here is the story of this plunder, of the pirates who amassed this horde during one legendary year upon the Spanish Main, and the tragedy of their loss upon the shoals of Cape Cod. It is updated to cover salvage efforts still underway in the Whydah's deep-sea grave. Had it not been for the love of Maria Hallett, whose spirit is still said to stalk the coast, Captain Samuel "Black" Bellamy might not have risked the Whydah's return through those threatening shoals, so close to the "hanging port" of Boston. This book traces the story of those who survived the wreck only to be imprisoned and then assailed by the soul-saving Reverend Cotton Mather. This is a true adventure of the high seas; a story inextricably melded with legend of the Cape Cod coast.