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Vendetta: American Express and the Smearing of Edmond Safra
The author of Barbarians at the Gate uncovers the secret operation involving spies, private eyes, double agents, and dragon ladies that American Express put into motion in order to harm one reclusive billionaire. 250,000 first printing. $250,000 ad/promo. Tour.
688 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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171 people want to read
About the author
Bryan Burrough
13Ìýbooks359ÌýfollowersBryan Burrough joined Vanity Fair in August 1992 and has been a special correspondent for the magazine since January 1995. He has reported on a wide range of topics, including the events that led to the war in Iraq, the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, and the Anthony Pellicano case. His profile subjects have included Sumner Redstone, Larry Ellison, Mike Ovitz, and Ivan Boesky.
Prior to joining Vanity Fair, Burrough was an investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal. In 1990, with Journal colleague John Heylar, he co-authored Barbarians at the Gate (HarperCollins), which was No. 1 on the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for 39 weeks. Burrough's othÂer books include Vendetta: American Express and the Smearing of Edmund Safra (HarperCollins, 1992), Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir (HarperCollins, 1998); and Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933â€�34 (Penguin Press, 2004).
Burrough is a three-time winner of the John Hancock Award for excellence in financial journalism. He lives in Summit, New Jersey with his wife Marla and their two sons.
Prior to joining Vanity Fair, Burrough was an investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal. In 1990, with Journal colleague John Heylar, he co-authored Barbarians at the Gate (HarperCollins), which was No. 1 on the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for 39 weeks. Burrough's othÂer books include Vendetta: American Express and the Smearing of Edmund Safra (HarperCollins, 1992), Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir (HarperCollins, 1998); and Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933â€�34 (Penguin Press, 2004).
Burrough is a three-time winner of the John Hancock Award for excellence in financial journalism. He lives in Summit, New Jersey with his wife Marla and their two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 25, 2011
Interesting story to start, but it got repetitive and it seemed like nothing more than an Edmond Safra fluff piece. Was one of those books that I tried to rush through after 250 pages, just because I was sick of reading it.
June 14, 2019
A deep (fair warning: very deep) dive into the early world of corporate espionage and dis-/misinformation campaigns embodied by the breakdown of a merger/buyout between American Express and Safra's TDB Bank during the 80s. This is a fascinating look at a portion of business history that I knew nothing about, but the book could have been far more concise.
September 7, 2024
Loved it, reads like a thriller. Bit dated now in 2024 and amazing to read a story from those pre-internet days. Many intertwined stories, characters and places felt like revisiting my earlier days. A very good writer with a comprehensive field of view.
June 17, 2017
A story full of drama queens and kings, in a world of artificial life , made up of hot air and forever-roses.
August 29, 2017
3.5/5
Nowhere nears as enjoyable as Days of Rage or Barbarians at the Gate, understandably overlooked. Still a good read for a DEEP journalistic investigation though.
Nowhere nears as enjoyable as Days of Rage or Barbarians at the Gate, understandably overlooked. Still a good read for a DEEP journalistic investigation though.
October 3, 2022
Absolutely captivating. Reads like a work of fiction as the author gives characters in-depth descriptions, I couldn't put this book down.
January 7, 2023
Listened to the two cassette abridged audio version, which was probably best. I cant imagine that this story was a whole book. Two cassettes were sufficient. A whole book may have been too much. Again, many of these books lately seem like they could just be in Atlantic Monthly as an extended magazine article. Writers are trying too hard to churn out books.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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