Kindle
$7.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$20.89
Paperback
$16.00
$20.89 with 19 percent savings
List Price: $25.95

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, May 13 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 9. Order within 19 hrs 59 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$20.89 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$20.89
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

David S. Landes
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Dynasties: Fortunes and Misfortunes of the World's Great Family Businesses Hardcover – September 21, 2006

by David S. Landes (Author)
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 64 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$20.89","priceAmount":20.89,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"20","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"89","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"w0QzCOGFzTu5GfohRc732WkKZRzKhG0O63IqtwCCJTOHiaed8fG4hASyMzlVv7pNN0noj64cyRUrGDoSUAbiqZxuumNNvMFy%2B5RwUWmcrV%2B3vOi3o0M4ebH5BjsIWPquAaJsojbOoXPL0EkDoueSpaJPy4Xg9%2Bmiu5CyfR0lLktwPhgfGhRVrWjkBLPF6XzL","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A lively survey of the families at the head of major companies from the past two centuries focuses on three areas, including banking, automobiles, and raw materials, in a historical account that includes coverage of the Ford, Guggenheim, and Rockefeller dynasties.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Viking Adult
  4. Publication date
    September 21, 2006
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    6.32 x 1.28 x 9.4 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0670033383
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0670033386
  9. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

Dynasties: Fortunes and Misfortunes of the World's Great Family Businesses
$20.89
Get it as soon as Monday, May 13
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by InterTradeCa LLC and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
The History of Family Business, 1850–2000 (New Studies in Economic and Social History, Series Number 47)
$28.99
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
One of these items ships sooner than the other.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Beginning as a work of economics, moving through soap opera and finishing as history, this book tells the stories of 11 great family businesses in Europe, Japan and America with at least three generations of family control. Observing that the vast majority of businesses are family owned and run, historian Landes (The Wealth and Poverty of Nations) argues that dynastic businesses offer a proven route to developing emerging markets, while companies managed by unrelated professionals and funded by public investors offer mostly bad jobs and slim profit shares to local employees. Even among the largest corporations, many retain significant financial and managerial involvement by the founder's relatives, and those that do perform better than the others. Landes's stories emphasize emotional life within these dynasties; he includes business details and general economic history only as context for family adventures and feuds. His emphasis is on how family considerations such as authority, love, trust, envy, marriage, adoption and succession determine the growth and direction of the business. While this may seem irrational compared to entrusting strategic decisions to specialized professionals selected according to talent rather than bloodline, Landes argues that family does a better job. (Sept. 25)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Historian Landes profiles business dynasties from the seventeenth century to the present. Defining a dynasty as three successive generations of family control and success, he focuses on banking, automobiles, and raw-materials industries, with fascinating stories of families, including the Barings, Morgans, Fords, Toyodas, Rockefellers, Guggenheims, and Schlumbergers. The varied histories of these families from different eras highlight the combination of money, power, and kinship that inevitably gives rise to drama and passion with the passage of generations. We learn the important influence that culture in the surrounding societies plays in the development of these dynasties and the author's conclusion that contrary to conventional wisdom, the family firm today is not obsolete or inconsequential. Landes tells us, "These tales trace the tangled histories of legendary lineages. . . . We can learn a great deal about business from these dynasties; moreover, these are extraordinary men and women, full of eccentricities and genius, and they provide a wealth of entertaining tales." Indeed. This is an excellent book. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking Adult; First Edition (September 21, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0670033383
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0670033386
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.32 x 1.28 x 9.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 64 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
David S. Landes

David S. Landes

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
64 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jamiel Cotman
5.0 out of 5 stars No, it’s NOT a how-to guide!
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
Why are people downvoting this book because it doesn’t go into the details of how these dynasties were built?

The object of his work here was spoken of on the very first page

“This is a book about family and business, success and disappointment, love and discord. My interest in dynasties began with economic history- the review and analysis of economic trends and the deeds and achievements of economic actors. As a historian I was quickly drawn into the drama of these stories and the larger than life quality of many of these competitors for wealth”

or as Publishers Weekly put it

“Landes's stories emphasize emotional life within these dynasties; he includes business details and general economic history only as context for family adventures and feuds. His emphasis is on how family considerations such as authority, love, trust, envy, marriage, adoption and succession determine the growth and direction of the business.”

It’s obvious his goal wasn’t to write a “how-to” for building a dynasty, but rather, an economic drama focused on them instead.

And that’s what makes this read all the more interesting!
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
C. Baer
3.0 out of 5 stars Book
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
Verified Purchase
Not as well written as I would have thought. The internet has better info
Helpful
 Report
Metallurgist
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and enlightening
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2010
Verified Purchase
This book details 13 dynastic businesses. It is divided into three sections, which cover; banking, automobiles, and raw materials (oil, mining, refining and metals production). Each section is divided into chapters covering a different dynasty or in the case of French automobile manufactures, three dynasties. British, European, American and one Japanese company are profiled.

Professor Landes defines a dynasty as "... a succession of at least three generations of a family business, marked by continuity of identity and interest." The book consists mostly of short biographies of these dynasties, with some common themes, namely; the advantages and disadvantages of a dynastic business compared to a publicly owned company, and the extent to which the families have remained in control of the businesses versus having to turn control over to outside experts. The chief advantages of a dynastic business are in the passion that successors may bring to the management of the business, the support that the various heirs may give to one another, and the prominence of a family name that can connote quality and stability. When this passion, support, and good family name exist, the dynasty can thrive, but when absent the business gets into trouble. The story of almost all of the dynasties that are discussed is one of an eventual loss of family control, either through a lack of interest or poor family management. Outsiders bring in talents that the family does not possess, but they also tend to lack the passion for the company as an entity, as opposed to just being a vehicle that can enrich the outside manager. Professor Landes also makes the case that dynastic firms can be a very good choice for developing countries if they are committed to their country as well as to the business. In contrast, multinational firms are generally interested in repatriating profits and not in building up the local economy, unless that can also reap profits that can be returned to the parent company.

The writing is interesting and entertaining and I liked this book, but with some reservations. I had the feeling, supported by the concluding chapter that refers to a few events that are not covered in the book, that the initial draft of the book was longer, but that the book was reduced to a more saleable size. This view was also supported by the omission of a few important and widely known events that are not mentioned in the book. For instance, there is no mention of the aborted Edsel division of the Ford motor company. The attempt, in the late 1950's, to honor Henry Ford's son and the father of the then current chairman Henry Ford II, was a dismal failure for a variety of reasons. The surprising thing is that it is not mentioned in the book, in spite of its intimate involvement with the Ford dynasty. Another surprising omission is that of the breakup of Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company.

I recommend this book to those interested in biography, business and economic history.
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Norman Metzger
2.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Bad Book
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2013
Verified Purchase
My expectations were high, Given the magisterial reputation of the author, Not to be. The writing is sophomoric and often glib; the history often shallow and pedestrian; and the analysis, especially in helping us readers understand how the "dynasties" such as the Rothschild's accumulated their fortunes, weak and superficial. All very disappointing. I gave up after a couple of chapters.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Lela Marcilio
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful reading
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
Learning from the past is always necessary to not commit the same mistakes; Landes describes it well in the pages of this book the history of successes and failures of the greatest families of the last centuries. For those who love business, exonomics, and history it is a delightful reading.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
DH
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017
Verified Purchase
Not enough on the family dynamics, and little on the succession planning. Too much on the management history.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Wheel Boy
4.0 out of 5 stars Reasonable Read
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
Not long enough to be thorough, but enough to whet your appetite for more. Give it a go and you'll want to peel back the stories of the families revealed in this book.
Helpful
 Report
Rod
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opener
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
It was quite interesting learning about how these dynasties that we all have heard of were formed and evolved through the years. Family-owned businesses will continue to drive today's world economy and is important to understand what drives them.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Ashvini
3.0 out of 5 stars A chronology
Reviewed in India on October 1, 2017
Verified Purchase
The book is an incomplete book. The writer has done well to cover quite a few dynasties, their rise and withering away in detailed chronology.
What has been left out is the detailed analysis of each family firm - the personalities, the individual motivations etc. Also, the writing style is confusing. The book jumps back and forth, leaving one to turn pages back and forth to correlate events with individuals.
Report
Ovidiu
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and light
Reviewed in Italy on September 10, 2015
Verified Purchase
It's an interesting book, very light and fast. Landes did his job very good even this time. The eBook it's tehnically-speaking, perfect.
Report
ANIL KUMAR BN
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in India on March 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
its worthful
Report
Bart
3.0 out of 5 stars Expected more from Landes
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2015
Verified Purchase
It's a nice book but a bit shallow. I expected more from the author of the Wealth and Poverty of Nations. The book is indeed full of nice anecdotes like it is advertised, but there is I think too little analysis or historical detail of for example the causes of the dynasties' rise and fall and why some got richer than others is not always clear. I even didn't read the last chapter with the last dynasty: it gets tedious as it is told.
Report
Douglas Yates
3.0 out of 5 stars While Landes has a good writing style for a general audience
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
While Landes has a good writing style for a general audience, the stories he tells are not deep enough, and the lessons he draws are thin
Report