ECU Libraries Catalog

The last castle : the epic story of love, loss, and American royalty in the nation's largest home / Denise Kiernan.

Author/creator Kiernan, Denise author.
Format Tactile Material, Book, and Print
EditionFirst Touchstone hardcover edition.
Publication Info New York : Touchstone, [2017]
Descriptionvii, 388 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Subject(s)
Contents A winter's tale -- A lady of the long man rising -- Rhapsody in mauve -- Collaborations and consecrations -- A crossing of some consequence -- New mistress -- Forest for the trees -- Births of the century -- Trials and toymakers -- The more things change -- High and dry -- Final crossings -- Washed away -- Homespun and a great war -- Freedoms and flappers -- Glimpse of a castle -- You might go home again -- Epilogue.
Abstract Documents the story of the Gilded Age mansion Biltmore, tracing George Vanderbilt's construction of his European-style estate and the efforts of his bride, Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, to become its protector in the face of changing fortunes and times.
Abstract "Before his marriage to Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, the wealthy and bookish George Vanderbilt had dedicated his life to creating a spectacular European-style estate on 125,000 acres of North Carolina wilderness. He summoned the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to tame the grounds, collaborated with celebrated architect Richard Morris Hunt to build a 175,000-square-foot château, filled it with priceless art and antiques, and erected a charming village beyond the gates. Edith became mistress of an estate nearly three times the size of Washington, DC, and benefactress of the village and surrounding rural area. When fortunes shifted and changing times threatened her family, her home, and her community, it was up to Edith to save Biltmore--and secure the future of the region and her husband's legacy. Spanning World Wars, the Jazz Age, and the Depression, and featuring a cast of real-life characters that includes generations of the Vanderbilt family, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Teddy Roosevelt, John Singer Sargent, Henry James, and Edith Wharton, The Last Castle is the quintessential American story of ingenuity, art, and perseverance."--Back cover of trade paperback.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 309-363) and index.
Issued in other formOnline version: Kiernan, Denise. Last castle. First Touchstone hardcover edition. New York : Touchstone, 2017 9781476794068
Genre/formBiographies.
Genre/formHistory.
Genre/formBiographies.
Genre/formBiographies.
LCCN 2017015229
ISBN9781476794044 (hardcover)
ISBN1476794049 (hardcover)
ISBN(ebook)
ISBN9781476794051
ISBN1476794057
Standard identifier# 40027506338
Stock numberSimon & Schuster, Order Dept 100 Front st, Riverside, NJ, USA, 08075 SAN 200-2442

Available Items

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner NC Stacks F264.A8 K54 2017 ✔ Available Place Hold