The Richest Man in the World: The Story of Adnan Khashoggi

by Ronald Kessler

New York Times bestselling author and award-winning reporter Ronald Kessler goes inside the infamously lavish life of billionaire Adnan Khashoggi, once the richest man in the world.He made more money than anyone in history. And he spent it at a dizzying clip of $330,000 a day, every day of the year. He was Adnan Mohamed Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian middleman who started out with nothing and in twenty-five years parlayed his connections to the Saudi royal family and genius at dealing with people into a fortune of colossal proportions.Uncle to Dodi Al-Fayed, Princess Diana's once boyfriend before a fatal car crash and Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist allegedly murdered in Istanbul, Adnan Khashoggi's American Express bill often exceeded $1 million. When he felt like having spaghetti, he flew to Venice for dinner on one of his three commercial-size airplanes. One of his luxury yachts, the 282-foot Nabila, was considered the most opulent modern yacht afloat and was borrowed for a James Bond movie. He even sold Donald Trump one of his 285-foot luxury super yachts for $200 million, although it is now in the hands of Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. This remarkable book is a rare glimpse into a life of opulence beyond most people's wildest imaginings--a compelling closeup of a complex and driven man who has explored the outer reaches of success, power, and all that money can buy.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1986

About the author

Ronald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of 21 non-fiction books about the Trump White House, Secret Service, FBI, and CIA.

Kessler began his career as a journalist in 1964 on the Worcester Telegram, followed by three years as an investigative reporter and editorial writer with the Boston Herald. In 1968, he joined the Wall Street Journal as an investigative reporter in the New York bureau. He became an investigative reporter with the Washington Post in 1970 and continued in that position until 1985.

Kessler's new book is "The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game."

Kessler has won eighteen journalism awards, including two George Polk awards--for national reporting and for community service. Kessler has also won the American Political Science Association's Public Affairs Reporting Award, the Associated Press' Sevellon Brown Memorial Award, and Washingtonian magazine's Washingtonian of the Year award. Franklin Pierce University awarded him the Marlin Fitzwater Medallion for excellence as a prolific author, journalist, and communicator. He is listed in Who's Who in America.

"Ron Kessler...has enjoyed a reputation for solid reporting over the past four decades." Lloyd Grove, The Daily Beast. "Kessler's such a skilled storyteller, you almost forget this is dead-serious nonfiction..." Newsweek. "[Ronald Kessler] is the man who broke the story about the [Secret Service prostitution] episode in Cartagena...." New York Times. "His [Kessler's] book quotes both flattering and unflattering observations about presidents of both parties." FactCheck.org. "[Ronald Kessler] is one of the nation's top investigative journalists." Fox & Friends. "Ron Kessler appears to get everything first." Slate.

Ron Kessler lives with his wife Pamela Kessler in the Washington, D.C. area. Also an author and former Washington Post reporter, Pam Kessler wrote "Undercover Washington: Where Famous Spies Lived, Worked and Loved." His daughter Rachel Kessler, an independent public relations consultant, and son Greg Kessler, an artist, live in New York.

Reviews

[Ammar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting biography about “the richest man in the world ‘ circa 1985. A famous middleman who had his fingers in multiple pies at the same time.

[Ivan Zajsek · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Khashoggi is definitely an extremely interesting individual, the writer just makes a mess of the whole book, at times bombarding with irrelevant facts and struggling to tie the narrative up into a cohesive story. Timeline is all over the place making it even harder to connect into a whole. Parts of the life and times of Khashoggi are truly fascinating for sure but for the most part the book kept me thinking how there is probably a much better book to be written on his life. Additinaly the book was written back in late 80's so there is no conclusion to how the later part of his life turned out, but that of course is no fault of the writer, just a fact.

[Hassaan Naeem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is loaded with information. Adnan truly was the Gatsby of the Middle East — what a life! Kessler untangles the Khashoggi web with precision, the reader is able to understand just how many places Adnan had his magical hands in, be it directly or indirectly. Certain portions of this book are a must read if you have any interest in Middle Eastern affairs specifically from the 60’s onwards.

[HAMZA IQBAL · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting account of a sharp, upper middle class, well connected man's journey to be the the richest man in the world. The way he mainteined his position and managed his business is eye opening, albiet of an era which is bygone. His lifestyle and all else that it followed gives the reader an opportunity, who may not know what life can be at such a level, a peek into his opulence.

[SUNDAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written book and gives insights into the lives of the super rich..

[Seema Dubey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a 1988 reprint of Khashoggi - The Rise and Fall of the Worlds Richest Man.

Dates above are tentative, all I recall I read the books a few years back.

[Jasmin Castro]

Hello
Hello

[Jorrit Dubois · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting anecdotes but a bit dated! Storyline is not exactly linear and can be tricky to follow at times