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	Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune by Anderson Cooper, Katherine Howe Price $32.99 Hardcover In Stock

Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe at Old South Church

presenting

Astor:
The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune

Date

Sep

Friday
September 22, 2023
7:00 PM ET

Location

Old South Church
645 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116

Tickets

$45.00 (book included)

Buy Tickets »

Harvard Book Store and Boston Globe Events welcome ANDERSON COOPER—anchor at CNN and a correspondent for CBS’ 60 Minutes— and KATHERINE HOWE—novelist and historian of America—for a discussion of their new book Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune.

Ticketing

Tickets include admission for one and one copy of Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune pre-signed by ANDERSON COOPER and KATHERINE HOWE.

There will be no public signing at this event.

About Astor

The story of the Astors is a quintessentially American story—of ambition, invention, destruction, and reinvention.

From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society.

The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic, one of many shocking and unexpected twists in the family’s story.

In this unconventional, page-turning historical biography, featuring black-and-white and color photographs, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe chronicle the lives of the Astors and explore what the Astor name has come to mean in America—offering a window onto the making of America itself.

Praise

“A worthy companion to superstar journalist Cooper's and novelist Howe's bestselling account of Cooper's own family, Vanderbilt. Once again, the authors offer an engaging, multigenerational story that is factual and nuanced. . . . Another nonfiction winner from the duo.” — Booklist (starred review)

“This meticulously detailed family saga is also rich with insight into U.S. history, including revealing chapters on topics ranging from mid-19th-century populist sentiments concerning Shakespeare (the Astor Opera House staged a performance of Macbeth that was widely reviled for its high ticket price) and the early 20th-century gay scene (when the Astor Hotel became a queer rendezvous spot). History buffs and readers fascinated by the rich and famous should take note.” —Publishers Weekly

“A brisk, entertaining history of the Astors, a storied dynasty that left an indelible mark on New York’s streets, parks, museums, libraries, hotels, and a famous gay bar. . . . A spirited saga of glitz and greed.” —Kirkus Reviews

Mask Policy

Masks are encouraged but not required for this event.

Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper is an anchor at CNN and a correspondent for CBS’ 60 Minutes. Cooper has won 18 Emmys and numerous other major journalism awards. He has written two books which topped the New York Times bestsellers list. Dispatches From The Edge – A Memoir of Wars, Disasters, and Survival and The Rainbow Comes and Goes, which he co-wrote with his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt. Cooper lives in New York with his son, Wyatt.

Photo Credit: John Nowak

Katherine Howe

Katherine Howe is a novelist and historian of America. She holds a BA in art history and philosophy from Columbia and an MA in American and New England Studies from Boston University, where she also did doctoral work. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and The House of Velvet and Glass, as well as the young adult novels Conversion and The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen. She served as editor of The Penguin Book of Witches. She has appeared on NPR, National Geographic, Smithsonian TV, the Travel Channel, and Good Morning America.

Old South Church is located at 645 Boylston Street, on the corner of Dartmouth and Boylston Streets, at the Copley T stop.

Public Transportation:
Old South is located at the Copley stop on the Green Line of the T. We are also a short walk from the Back Bay station on the Orange Line (from the station, walk two blocks north on Dartmouth Street). Bus routes 9, 10, 39, and 55 also stop in Copley Square. Use the MBTA’s Trip Planner for specific schedule routes and times.

Driving:
From the North via I-93: Take I-93 south to Exit #26 for Storrow Drive/North Station. At the bottom of the ramp, keep left for Storrow Drive. From Storrow, take the exit for Copley Square/Back Bay. Turn right onto Beacon Street. After 4 blocks, turn left on Exeter Street. After 4 blocks, turn left on Boylston Street. Old South is at the end of the block, on the left.

From the South via I-93: Take I-93 north to Exit #18 for Mass. Ave./Roxbury. Turn left onto the Mass. Ave. Connector, then turn right (north) onto Mass. Ave. Continue on Mass. Ave. for a little over a mile, then turn right onto Boylston Street. Old South is 5 blocks down, on the left, at Boylston and Dartmouth Streets.

From the West via the Mass. Turnpike (I-90): Take the Mass. Pike east to Exit #22 for Prudential/Copley. Bear right in the exit ramp, following signs for Copley Square. Take the first left onto Dartmouth Street, and continue two blocks to Boylston Street. Old South is on the left.

From the West via Storrow Drive: Take Storrow east to the Fenway exit, following signs for Boylston Street Inbound. Once you cross Mass. Ave., Old South is 5 blocks down, on the left, at Boylston and Dartmouth Streets.

From the East via Storrow Drive: Take Storrow west to the exit for Copley Square/Back Bay. Turn right onto Beacon Street. After 4 blocks, turn left on Exeter Street. After 4 blocks, turn left on Boylston Street. Old South is at the end of the block, on the left.

Unable to attend a Harvard Book Store author event? You can still pre-order a signed book by one of our visiting authors.

While we can't guarantee fulfillment of a signed book pre-order, our authors are almost always able to sign extra books to fulfill such orders.

Ordering a signed book on harvard.com:

Add the book to your shopping cart and then click Checkout.
Specify in Order Comments that you want a signed copy of the book.
Please note: online orders for signed copies must be placed at least one business day before the event. If you are ordering the day of, please call us instead.

Ordering a signed book by phone:

Call us at (617) 661-1515 and one of our booksellers will take your order. Specify you'd like a signed copy.
If you are requesting a personalized inscription and/or requesting your book be shipped, we'll need to take down credit card information. If you are planning to pick up the signed book in the store, you can pay on pick-up.

FAQ:

Can I request a personalized inscription?
Unless otherwise noted, we are happy to take requests for the author to sign your book to a specific person, but we can't guarantee it. If you do get a personalized inscription, the book will be non-returnable. We will require credit card information when you place the order.

Do signed books cost more?
There is no extra fee for a signed book!

Do I have to pick it up in the store, or can you deliver my signed book?
As with all web or phone orders, we can hold your book for in-store pickup, or ship it anywhere in the country.

I am planning to attend an author event. Do I need to pre-order a book?
No need. We'll be selling books at the event, and nearly all of our events include a signing at the end of the talk.

More questions? Give us a call!

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