Dossier: The Secret History of Armand Hammer
Author: Edward Jay Epstein, Armand Hammer
List Price: $15.95
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0786706775
Publisher: Carroll & Graf (October, 1999)
Sales Rank: 75,864
Average Customer Rating: 3.92 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Fascinating history of a strong & questionable personality
I remember Armand Hammer appearing on the Tonight Show and other of guest appearances on the popular shows of the day doing his best to create a positive public image. He largely succeeded. This book shows the deals he cut with rather awful people and Hammer's, being kind, questionable character. It is an engrossing story and the book is a great read.
The point is that this is an important story because of the relationships Hammer had with people in power in the Soviet Union, in the Middle East, and in Washington. Occidental Petroleum was and is an important company. Of course, Al Gore's father success, and much of Gore's personal wealth, is based upon carrying water for Occidental Petroleum. The company worked hard in post Hammer times to erase that difficult past. You can judge for yourself.
I believe that you will enjoy this book and warmly recommend it to you.
Rating: 5 out of 5
It gets 5 big ones from me!
I found this book to be utterly fascinating. There has been so much smoke blown about Armand Hammer over the years (a lot of it from the mouth of the Hammer himself) that it is refreshing to read a less worshipful account. The best part (and the part of Hammer's life which he purposely obscured over the years) is about his life in Russia in the 1920's. Well worth the time!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Straightforward Biography of a Twisted Individual
Biographer Epstein does a straightforward, almost journalistic description of the life and times of Armand Hammer, considered by many to be a man of vision, humanity, and charity until details of his life began to seep out following his death. Even the New York Times gave this man a glowing obituary. But, thanks to the tremendous research done by Epstein, we see Hammer for what he was: an evil, self-serving, egomanic. And Epstein's non-sensational telling of the details of Hammer's life is appropriate; it is unnecessary to augment beyond the notoriousness of Hammer's own actions. What Hammer did speaks for itself, and Epstein catalogues his many sins. He was a traitor to his country, his family, his friends. He was such a lowlife that he allowed his father to go to prison for crime he, the son, committed. He was a perpetual adulterer. He laundered millions of dollars and had secret accounts everywhere. He drove what most believed to be a successful company to the brink of bankruptcy. But I could have done without the incessant mini-flashbacks that kept creeping into the narration. And I think it was a really bad choice to begin the book with the prologue describing Hammer's final days. It would work much better at the end, as this failure of a human being tops himself while he is dying with malicious, coniving, and deceitful steps to preserve his false characterization upon his passing. I would strongly recommend that you read the prologue at the end of the book. I would also suggest that as you finish each chapter, you turn to the source notes for that chapter and be amazed by the research Epstein did to compile his facts. He paints Hammer as such a dispicable character, that you will be astounded that this character got away with his ruse for his entire life. In this day of rotten corporate big-business, the book shows the rot has been going on for decades. Similar Products
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