these people were and this extraordinary history of america, this extraordinary history of a family, which the first one came here as an indentured servant. cornelius vanderbilt drops out of school, dies in 1877 with more money than anybody had ever seen before, $100 million, and within two generations and three generations all the palaces that they built with that money, all of it was essentially torn down. and much of it has just disappeared. i think it's a fascinating story about the rise and fall of this american dynasty. >> well, that's the thing. after cornelius he had william and he doubled the family fortune. but at the heart of the book it's about the rise and fall of an american family because the money was made, and then so much of the fortune was squandered. i want to read a quote that really jumped out at me. quote, no one can make money evaporate into thin air like a