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Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes
Penetrating the mythology surrounding the bizarre life of the billionaire businessman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative team portrays Howard Hughes as a man who, in time, came to be ruled by his madness
687 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Donald L. Barlett
15 books17 followersDonald Leon Barlett was an American investigative journalist and author who often collaborated with James B. Steele. According to The Washington Journalism Review, they were a better investigative reporting team than even Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Together they won two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Magazine Awards and six George Polk Awards. In addition, they have been recognized by their peers with awards from Investigative Reporters and Editors on five separate occasions. They were known for their reporting technique of delving deep into documents and then, after what could be a long investigative period, interviewing the necessary sources. The duo worked together for over 40 years and is frequently referred to as Barlett and Steele.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
October 16, 2019
Howard Hughes lived life large. He simply did not exist in the same universe with the rest of the world. His cousin told me about a time that Howard had his car stolen. It was a brand new convertible. Howard told his cousin that he was not upset about losing the car, but about losing the Saturday Evening Post in the back seat. It had a serial in it that he had been reading.
Bartlett and Steele are two fine investigative reporters for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and they are able to wrap their gifts around this very, very big story. Hughes was not a brilliant businessman, but he had a talent for finding people and putting them to work. At the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a tax shelter that was never meant to last, the remainder of Hughes' fortune is being used in a way of which he would approve. The Institute hires the most brilliant research scientists it can find, and sets them loose working on whatever they choose. Hughes did a similar thing at ToolCo, where engineers invented everything from pocket calculators to laser beams.
Hughes disintegrating personal life reflected his descent into madness. The authors go through every bit of that, along with covering his forays into aviation and the film business. If Hughes had been born into a less privileged lifestyle, I wonder if he would have had the luxury of going mad. He was capable of great things - all the way from his designs for airplane improvements that helped the U.S. win W.W.II, to the fabrication of the first push-up bra. At the same time, though, very few people in his life ever told Howard Hughes "No," and the lack of boundaries, along with perhaps some genetic tendencies to mental instability, ultimately led to his downfall.
Bartlett and Steele are two fine investigative reporters for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and they are able to wrap their gifts around this very, very big story. Hughes was not a brilliant businessman, but he had a talent for finding people and putting them to work. At the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a tax shelter that was never meant to last, the remainder of Hughes' fortune is being used in a way of which he would approve. The Institute hires the most brilliant research scientists it can find, and sets them loose working on whatever they choose. Hughes did a similar thing at ToolCo, where engineers invented everything from pocket calculators to laser beams.
Hughes disintegrating personal life reflected his descent into madness. The authors go through every bit of that, along with covering his forays into aviation and the film business. If Hughes had been born into a less privileged lifestyle, I wonder if he would have had the luxury of going mad. He was capable of great things - all the way from his designs for airplane improvements that helped the U.S. win W.W.II, to the fabrication of the first push-up bra. At the same time, though, very few people in his life ever told Howard Hughes "No," and the lack of boundaries, along with perhaps some genetic tendencies to mental instability, ultimately led to his downfall.
May 23, 2021
Even after finishing a biography about him, I still do not think I know very much about who Howard Hughes actually was. That is not an indictment of Donald Bartlett and James Steele. They penned an exhaustive account of Hughes' life as far as they were able to. The problem lies not with their research, which was quite extensive, but with the extreme secrecy that Hughes operated under. When you are writing about someone who spent the final two decades of his life almost exclusively living in a darkened bedroom, seeing almost no one, it is going to be difficult to piece together what exactly the man thought and did.
Hughes was not a self-made man. He inherited, at the young age of 18, his father's immensely successful business Hughes Tool Company. Both of Hughes' parents died suddenly when he was a teenager, and this had a profound effect on his life. Not only because he came into vast wealth so quickly, but because he was very much a mother's boy, being coddled and pampered over by her. Unfortunately, she was smothering and instilled in Hughes many phobias that would later plague him so profusely as an adult. Hughes was an extreme germaphobe, with the seed being planted by his mother.
A master of public relations, Hughes was actually a really poor businessman. About the best thing he did was to leave the Tool Company to basically run itself and keep pouring money into his pockets. He used the profits to spend the next half century embarking on one failed business venture after another. He bought RKO Studios and ran it into the ground. He bought TWA and almost destroyed it, finally being forced out of it by the government. He bought up a series of old mines all across Nevada, with almost none of them paying out at all. He was a defense contractor for the military but did a mostly poor job - completely botching an Army helicopter contract in the 60s, trying and failing to produce photo reconnaissance planes in WWII, and completing one flying boat when he was contracted out to make three, and that one did not work. He invested heavily in gaming and casinos in Las Vegas and basically got hosed by his aides and lieutenants.
Bartlett and Steele do a good job of chronicling all of Hughes' missteps, as well as his flight around the world in the late 30s. Hughes did this at a time when air travel was still in its infancy, and it was far from safe. In fact, a plane crash that he had in LA in 1946, and was lucky to survive at all, led to him becoming permanently addicted to prescription drugs. Hughes popped valium pills and injected himself with levels of codeine that bordered on, and frequently crossed, lethal levels for years. This contributed significantly to the stupor that characterized his last several years especially.
Much of the book actually centers around Hughes' various business ventures, and how mismanaged almost all of them were. At times, Hughes sort of receded into the background, and the narrative became a recounting of one meeting followed by another. There was a lot of talk about tax implications, with Hughes constantly trying to scheme to avoid paying taxes. There was also an endless maze of lawsuits. Hughes sued everyone, and everyone sued him. After awhile, one lawsuit just rolled into another. I understand why all of this was included, but I think some of it could have been reduced without losing the essence of what was going on in Hughes' life.
The authors also recount how Hughes descended into insanity. He had a mental breakdown in the late 40s, and then a much more serious one in 1958, one that he never was able to quite break out of. There are so many examples to provide. Here is part of a paragraph from page 232 which I think will give someone a good idea of the lunacy which surrounded Hughes: "For weeks, Hughes worse the same white shirt and brown slacks. Then one day he discarded his clothes and went about naked.... Because he refused to touch doorknobs, when he wanted to leave the studio to go to the bathroom in the lobby, he walked to the door and kicked it.... Hughes sat in the bathroom for long periods, once for twenty-six hours. He was as likely to urinate on the floor as in the toilet, but he refused to allow the janitors to clean, choosing instead to spread paper towels around.... He also banned his projectionists and guards from the bathroom, suggesting that they use milk cartons to relieve themselves." Hughes was actually living in a film screening room. Yes, he was living in it.
Later, Hughes became a total recluse. At one point, he did not step or even look outside in over four years. All windows and doors in his hotel room would be taped and sealed shut. Hughes would lay naked in his bed or in his reclining chair, watching TV and movies, sometimes doing business via phone and memos, and oftentimes sleeping and taking drugs. Because he so completely cut himself off from the rest of society, and because of the increasing stupor he found himself in due to his chronic drug use and abuse, Hughes lost control of his empire. And this is one of the sad parts about Hughes' life: once his parents died almost nobody cared about him. The few relatives who did, Hughes quickly alienated and removed from his life. He ultimately became dependent on a group of self-serving aides who essentially stole money from him and would withhold information, or feed him false information, as it benefitted them. Hughes was a control freak, and had no use for people other than how they could help him. As the authors note, in an ironic twist, Hughes ended up becoming his own prisoner as his aides dictated what would happen and where he would be moved to next. For the last five or six years of his life, he essentially was no longer in control of anything, and was more or less barely existing.
There is a detailed chapter that talks about all of the various parties trying to contest for part of Hughes' estate. As you can imagine, many people came out of the woodwork, complete with dubious legal theories and a forged will (Hughes, as far as can be determined, left no will - if he did, it was never found) attempting to claim some of his riches for their own. The authors also sum up Hughes' legacy and his early impact on aviation. I felt no sense of sorrow as I read of Hughes' mental and physical decline because he spent his life treating people so poorly. Hughes never cared about anyone after his parents died. He demanded total loyalty, and expected people to indulge his every whim because he was rich. In the end, he died an emaciated old man, full of drugs, and oblivious to the world.
Grade: B-
Hughes was not a self-made man. He inherited, at the young age of 18, his father's immensely successful business Hughes Tool Company. Both of Hughes' parents died suddenly when he was a teenager, and this had a profound effect on his life. Not only because he came into vast wealth so quickly, but because he was very much a mother's boy, being coddled and pampered over by her. Unfortunately, she was smothering and instilled in Hughes many phobias that would later plague him so profusely as an adult. Hughes was an extreme germaphobe, with the seed being planted by his mother.
A master of public relations, Hughes was actually a really poor businessman. About the best thing he did was to leave the Tool Company to basically run itself and keep pouring money into his pockets. He used the profits to spend the next half century embarking on one failed business venture after another. He bought RKO Studios and ran it into the ground. He bought TWA and almost destroyed it, finally being forced out of it by the government. He bought up a series of old mines all across Nevada, with almost none of them paying out at all. He was a defense contractor for the military but did a mostly poor job - completely botching an Army helicopter contract in the 60s, trying and failing to produce photo reconnaissance planes in WWII, and completing one flying boat when he was contracted out to make three, and that one did not work. He invested heavily in gaming and casinos in Las Vegas and basically got hosed by his aides and lieutenants.
Bartlett and Steele do a good job of chronicling all of Hughes' missteps, as well as his flight around the world in the late 30s. Hughes did this at a time when air travel was still in its infancy, and it was far from safe. In fact, a plane crash that he had in LA in 1946, and was lucky to survive at all, led to him becoming permanently addicted to prescription drugs. Hughes popped valium pills and injected himself with levels of codeine that bordered on, and frequently crossed, lethal levels for years. This contributed significantly to the stupor that characterized his last several years especially.
Much of the book actually centers around Hughes' various business ventures, and how mismanaged almost all of them were. At times, Hughes sort of receded into the background, and the narrative became a recounting of one meeting followed by another. There was a lot of talk about tax implications, with Hughes constantly trying to scheme to avoid paying taxes. There was also an endless maze of lawsuits. Hughes sued everyone, and everyone sued him. After awhile, one lawsuit just rolled into another. I understand why all of this was included, but I think some of it could have been reduced without losing the essence of what was going on in Hughes' life.
The authors also recount how Hughes descended into insanity. He had a mental breakdown in the late 40s, and then a much more serious one in 1958, one that he never was able to quite break out of. There are so many examples to provide. Here is part of a paragraph from page 232 which I think will give someone a good idea of the lunacy which surrounded Hughes: "For weeks, Hughes worse the same white shirt and brown slacks. Then one day he discarded his clothes and went about naked.... Because he refused to touch doorknobs, when he wanted to leave the studio to go to the bathroom in the lobby, he walked to the door and kicked it.... Hughes sat in the bathroom for long periods, once for twenty-six hours. He was as likely to urinate on the floor as in the toilet, but he refused to allow the janitors to clean, choosing instead to spread paper towels around.... He also banned his projectionists and guards from the bathroom, suggesting that they use milk cartons to relieve themselves." Hughes was actually living in a film screening room. Yes, he was living in it.
Later, Hughes became a total recluse. At one point, he did not step or even look outside in over four years. All windows and doors in his hotel room would be taped and sealed shut. Hughes would lay naked in his bed or in his reclining chair, watching TV and movies, sometimes doing business via phone and memos, and oftentimes sleeping and taking drugs. Because he so completely cut himself off from the rest of society, and because of the increasing stupor he found himself in due to his chronic drug use and abuse, Hughes lost control of his empire. And this is one of the sad parts about Hughes' life: once his parents died almost nobody cared about him. The few relatives who did, Hughes quickly alienated and removed from his life. He ultimately became dependent on a group of self-serving aides who essentially stole money from him and would withhold information, or feed him false information, as it benefitted them. Hughes was a control freak, and had no use for people other than how they could help him. As the authors note, in an ironic twist, Hughes ended up becoming his own prisoner as his aides dictated what would happen and where he would be moved to next. For the last five or six years of his life, he essentially was no longer in control of anything, and was more or less barely existing.
There is a detailed chapter that talks about all of the various parties trying to contest for part of Hughes' estate. As you can imagine, many people came out of the woodwork, complete with dubious legal theories and a forged will (Hughes, as far as can be determined, left no will - if he did, it was never found) attempting to claim some of his riches for their own. The authors also sum up Hughes' legacy and his early impact on aviation. I felt no sense of sorrow as I read of Hughes' mental and physical decline because he spent his life treating people so poorly. Hughes never cared about anyone after his parents died. He demanded total loyalty, and expected people to indulge his every whim because he was rich. In the end, he died an emaciated old man, full of drugs, and oblivious to the world.
Grade: B-
November 6, 2020
This 800-page biography covers the life of one of the most fascinating characters of the 20th century. However, the book went into excruciating detail and I would have given up half way through if not for my interest in learning more about the subject. I suspect there are more engaging biographies which may be found regarding Hughes.
September 15, 2018
When I was growing up, I heard a lot about Howard Hughes, the reclusive genius businessman. A man who dated beautiful women, who was a Hollywood mogul, who was a major player in the airline industry, someone who became a player in Las Vegas gambling, and so on. Well, I was wrong.
This book's subtitle includes the term "madness." I had also heard that he was eccentric, but I was not aware how his debilities created huge problems for him as a businessman.
A few examples. He took over RKO studio, one of the major studios in Hollywood. He produced a few good movies, but he ended up producing rather few. In the process, the studio became a losing proposition. Or, when he owned and ran TWA, a then premier airline company. When jets became the norm, he was paralyzed and could not pull the trigger on purchasing enough jets to allow TWA to compete. As a result, he lost control of the company.
What about his playboy image? Surely, he dated many women. He ultimately married Jean Peters, an actress. But the circumstances were bizarre. She had to make appointments to see him--or even phone him. They seldom lived together. An indication of a difficulty with other people.
He hated paying taxes and was always on the lookout for finding ways to reduce his tax burden. His Howard Hughes Institute for medical research was an example.
Later on, his mental problems became overwhelming, as he lived with little contact with humans, letting his nails grow very long, unable to make business decisions, and so on.
He did have successes. His Spruce Goose flew. He was, in fact, a very good pilot. One of his companies was a successful defense contractor.
A fascinating portrayal of an iconic figure, who never lived up to his reputation. And who ended up an almost pathetic figure.
This book's subtitle includes the term "madness." I had also heard that he was eccentric, but I was not aware how his debilities created huge problems for him as a businessman.
A few examples. He took over RKO studio, one of the major studios in Hollywood. He produced a few good movies, but he ended up producing rather few. In the process, the studio became a losing proposition. Or, when he owned and ran TWA, a then premier airline company. When jets became the norm, he was paralyzed and could not pull the trigger on purchasing enough jets to allow TWA to compete. As a result, he lost control of the company.
What about his playboy image? Surely, he dated many women. He ultimately married Jean Peters, an actress. But the circumstances were bizarre. She had to make appointments to see him--or even phone him. They seldom lived together. An indication of a difficulty with other people.
He hated paying taxes and was always on the lookout for finding ways to reduce his tax burden. His Howard Hughes Institute for medical research was an example.
Later on, his mental problems became overwhelming, as he lived with little contact with humans, letting his nails grow very long, unable to make business decisions, and so on.
He did have successes. His Spruce Goose flew. He was, in fact, a very good pilot. One of his companies was a successful defense contractor.
A fascinating portrayal of an iconic figure, who never lived up to his reputation. And who ended up an almost pathetic figure.
October 19, 2013
You know the Simpsons episode where Monty Burns runs a casino and lives in his room, afeared of Freemason-spruiking germs and wearing Kleenex boxes on his feet? Like this:
Well, that's basically the story of Howard Hughes, except Hughes isn't wearing any pyjamas. Oh, and he's jacking enough codeine and Valium to kill the average person. No biggie.
The book is exceptionally well researched - coming from a journalistic background it'd be a surprise if this wasn't the case, I suppose - but to the point where it can become a little bogged down in detail. Charting his decline from rich weirdo to rich OCD addict inmate, the book is its most verbose about the point where Hughes had lost control of his empire. I assume this is because a lot of the business proceedings at that point were on public record. It's illuminating but at the same time almost overwhelming to receive so much information when the book may have been able to have been snipped down a fair whack to allow it to flow in the same way as the earlier chapters - detailing Hughes' life up until the 'Spruce Goose' phase - did.
I thought I knew a lot about Hughes given my childhood background as an aviation nerd, but there's so much more in here. Central is the removal of the concept of Hughes as a genius - his mastery of PR and spin was only outpaced by the lengths to which his handlers would go to sate his OCD- and paranoia-driven desires. In the end, we're presented with the sad picture of a failed industrialist Miss Havisham, rotting away on drugs while his Mormon handlers proclaim business as usual.
Well, that's basically the story of Howard Hughes, except Hughes isn't wearing any pyjamas. Oh, and he's jacking enough codeine and Valium to kill the average person. No biggie.
The book is exceptionally well researched - coming from a journalistic background it'd be a surprise if this wasn't the case, I suppose - but to the point where it can become a little bogged down in detail. Charting his decline from rich weirdo to rich OCD addict inmate, the book is its most verbose about the point where Hughes had lost control of his empire. I assume this is because a lot of the business proceedings at that point were on public record. It's illuminating but at the same time almost overwhelming to receive so much information when the book may have been able to have been snipped down a fair whack to allow it to flow in the same way as the earlier chapters - detailing Hughes' life up until the 'Spruce Goose' phase - did.
I thought I knew a lot about Hughes given my childhood background as an aviation nerd, but there's so much more in here. Central is the removal of the concept of Hughes as a genius - his mastery of PR and spin was only outpaced by the lengths to which his handlers would go to sate his OCD- and paranoia-driven desires. In the end, we're presented with the sad picture of a failed industrialist Miss Havisham, rotting away on drugs while his Mormon handlers proclaim business as usual.
April 18, 2022
Howard Hughes sort of represents the American dream (nightmare). Talented yet misguided in business affairs. Sort of a dreamer who didn't have a practical bone in his body - yet had his Dad's money to do things.
He wanted to create, yet eventually destroyed everything he put his hands on. The great thing about this book is that they go into the money deals that were made and one wants to shake his shoulders and say to Hughes 'don't do it!"
One of the great things about this book is that they reprint a lot of the Hughes memos to his employees. They are both hysterical and very sad at the same time. Stuff like having his driver go to the newsstand and pick out a paper in the middle of the pile because it's unlikely it was touched by human hands.
He wanted to create, yet eventually destroyed everything he put his hands on. The great thing about this book is that they go into the money deals that were made and one wants to shake his shoulders and say to Hughes 'don't do it!"
One of the great things about this book is that they reprint a lot of the Hughes memos to his employees. They are both hysterical and very sad at the same time. Stuff like having his driver go to the newsstand and pick out a paper in the middle of the pile because it's unlikely it was touched by human hands.
February 6, 2017
I don't usually read biographies or autobiographies unless I am a fan of the person or if it is highly recommended. This was neither to me, I only started reading it because I saw it in the library's returns pile and I was in a reading slump with no idea what I wanted to read. Despite that, I'm glad I picked it up, because it was one of the most interesting biographies I've read in a while.
November 9, 2009
Although very interesting, this book suffers from flow and consistency issues. Parts of the story are very focused on "following the money" of the empire and the various tax games, political monetary donations (such as involvement in Watergate), and ways in which employees variously robbed, embezzled, or took advantage of Hughes late in life. Hughes actual life and thoughts are sometimes lost in this chain of influence. Thus the story fragments into parts about Hughes the person and parts about the Hughes Empire. It will be interesting to see if later biographers are able to not only stitch these two parts of Hughes together, but also able to delve into the equally interesting biographies of the people who ran the empire.
March 11, 2018
As another reviewer pointed out, this book is incredibly detailed and painstakingly researched. The author has taken great care mapping out the entirety of the Hughes empire, including his ties to a who's who of Hollywood, politics, the mob, and beyond. If you have the patience for it, this is a fascinating read. The sheer magnitude of HRH's influence, even when he had become a virtual prisoner of his own design, is mind boggling. True, there is a staggering amount of information to digest but, such is the life of billionaire industrialists. Whatever his eccentricities, Hughes accomplished more in one life than most could ever dream. It is worth wondering, what he may have been capable of had his addictions and mental instability been kept at bay.
November 30, 2017
Very interesting book. the the book is well-written and researched. it provides a lot of great details on the extraordinary life of Howard Hughes. overall I thought the subject matter was very interesting and made for good reading.
there are a few negatives, however. the biggest issue I have with the book is its over-emphasis on the last 10 years of Hughes life. Hughes lived 70 years in total, but more than half of the book is devoted to the last ten years of Hughes life. the author goes into incredible detail about Hughes lifestyle and lawsuits after he moved to Las Vegas in 1966, while (to the book's detriment, in my opinion) providing precious few details on Hughes movie making exploits and life style in his 20s, 30s, and 40s.
there are a few negatives, however. the biggest issue I have with the book is its over-emphasis on the last 10 years of Hughes life. Hughes lived 70 years in total, but more than half of the book is devoted to the last ten years of Hughes life. the author goes into incredible detail about Hughes lifestyle and lawsuits after he moved to Las Vegas in 1966, while (to the book's detriment, in my opinion) providing precious few details on Hughes movie making exploits and life style in his 20s, 30s, and 40s.
April 24, 2022
During the late 1960's and early 1970's, Hughes, who hasn't been seen in public in almost ten years, lives the life of a total recluse, in a "germ free" prison he has built for himself. Naked, only bathing maybe once or twice a year, with hair down to his backside, beard down to his navel, eating maybe once a day at the most, and storing his urine in Mason jars. Throughout his life, though, Hughes had suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, among other mental-health conditions. He would incinerate his entire wardrobe if he thought there were too many germs in his house and wash his hands until they bled.
Donald Bartlett and James Steel's book, "Howard Hughes: His Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes" is simply fascinating to read. The authors accomplish the gargantuan task of separating fact from fiction in the very complex life of Howard Hughes. "His Life and Madness" is impeccably researched and documented. It is a bona fide biography that reads more like fiction than real life-such was the world of Howard Hughes. "His Life and Madness" traces the rise and tragic fall of Howard Hughes; a man who wore many hats, he was an aviator, Hollywood movie producer, Las Vegas hotel/casino owner ... and a recluse. For one brief shining moment, Hughes was considered one of America's premier aviators, breaking flying records, but then falling out of grace with government and the aviation industry for breaking contract deadlines. In the long run, Howard Hughes would become a grand failure in the world of big business. Bartlett and Steel show the reader a man who had everything to live for, good looks, fame, fortune, power and prestige, but he was unable to triumph over his social and physical phobias that led to psychological, emotional, and physical illnesses and to his final descent into the dwellings of the insane. Hughes' deep mistrust of all people-even family, worked against him and led to his demise and the loss of his billion-dollar empire by the very people whose job it was to safeguard him and his empire. "His Life and Madness" is a long read but it deals with a very complex, and bizarre person and at times was very creepy and I really enjoyed reading it.
Donald Bartlett and James Steel's book, "Howard Hughes: His Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes" is simply fascinating to read. The authors accomplish the gargantuan task of separating fact from fiction in the very complex life of Howard Hughes. "His Life and Madness" is impeccably researched and documented. It is a bona fide biography that reads more like fiction than real life-such was the world of Howard Hughes. "His Life and Madness" traces the rise and tragic fall of Howard Hughes; a man who wore many hats, he was an aviator, Hollywood movie producer, Las Vegas hotel/casino owner ... and a recluse. For one brief shining moment, Hughes was considered one of America's premier aviators, breaking flying records, but then falling out of grace with government and the aviation industry for breaking contract deadlines. In the long run, Howard Hughes would become a grand failure in the world of big business. Bartlett and Steel show the reader a man who had everything to live for, good looks, fame, fortune, power and prestige, but he was unable to triumph over his social and physical phobias that led to psychological, emotional, and physical illnesses and to his final descent into the dwellings of the insane. Hughes' deep mistrust of all people-even family, worked against him and led to his demise and the loss of his billion-dollar empire by the very people whose job it was to safeguard him and his empire. "His Life and Madness" is a long read but it deals with a very complex, and bizarre person and at times was very creepy and I really enjoyed reading it.
July 6, 2017
Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness is painstakingly thorough. The saying: "It's all in the details" could've easily been instigated by this astounding piece of work. Better yet, encyclopedia. The level of meticulousness does have its downside: boringness. Although his life wasn't uneventful, it—being his post aviation years—can be rather dull due to Hughes relentless refusal to learn from his mistakes. Bound to repeat himself, he masterfully does so, until his death. There is one adage in the book which aptly compresses the 627 pages into a single line: "Same baby, different diaper." The diaper—consisting mostly of deceptive, political, and corporate diarrhea—was too much for me to handle. Although I read every line, I couldn't suppress my frustration regarding its legislative nature. Unconsciously I dozed off. I never imagined money, greed, and the legal system could be so intertwined. Yet I was wrong. My disappointment by the lack of scientific thinkers in governments has been reinforced once again.
Objectively, as previously stated, this is an impressive book. One that without a doubt many people rightfully love to read. Subjectively, it was tedious, because of my disinterest in law. A tl;dr for the second half would have sufficed.
Objectively, as previously stated, this is an impressive book. One that without a doubt many people rightfully love to read. Subjectively, it was tedious, because of my disinterest in law. A tl;dr for the second half would have sufficed.
April 27, 2016
Money buy wealth one doesn't earn, fame that's an illusion, loyalty without true friendship, public admiration given no empathy; money also allow one pursue self-interest with no concern of others, cultivate human nature to evil growth, disclose the absurdity of life, and make HRH a spectacular loser!
Besides HHMI being the highest honor one can get in life science research as I was raised to admire, Marty and Leo's "Aviator" (supposedly inspired by this book) lured me to dig into HRH's real life, both HHMI in my mind and Leo's portrayal are incomplete or fictional or deviation from the reality. After 1/3 of the book, I became much less captivated by the seemingly ponderous information turning a handsome genius I respected to incompetent wacko I despise, halfway through I was exhilarated again as if reading a crime novel and suspense thriller (motion picture material!)... ended with the only feeling left for HRH is sympathy (for his mental illness and premature independence without guidance and nurturing), oh I also like his wry sense of humor: crossbred of an escaped lunatic and a child.
Besides HHMI being the highest honor one can get in life science research as I was raised to admire, Marty and Leo's "Aviator" (supposedly inspired by this book) lured me to dig into HRH's real life, both HHMI in my mind and Leo's portrayal are incomplete or fictional or deviation from the reality. After 1/3 of the book, I became much less captivated by the seemingly ponderous information turning a handsome genius I respected to incompetent wacko I despise, halfway through I was exhilarated again as if reading a crime novel and suspense thriller (motion picture material!)... ended with the only feeling left for HRH is sympathy (for his mental illness and premature independence without guidance and nurturing), oh I also like his wry sense of humor: crossbred of an escaped lunatic and a child.
April 16, 2008
I became interested in Howard Hughes after seeing 'The Aviator' (edited version)! He was definitely a womanizer and manipulator but you can't deny his courage and determination in both the field of movie production and aviation. The 'Spruce Goose' is on display at an air museum in McMinnville, Oregon which was very close to where we used to live so it had a lot more meaning for me when I got to see the plane after reading about Howard Hughes.
November 14, 2017
The guy was so fucked up! But you take the good and leave the bad. In that sense, his eccentricity led him do things a sane person couldn't have done. He was a genius but not a pragmatic one.
You don't need to read the whole book because in the end it becomes quite painful to go through the routine logs and know the multitude of characters.
You don't need to read the whole book because in the end it becomes quite painful to go through the routine logs and know the multitude of characters.
November 26, 2019
Good thing I'm reading this 2 weeks until Christmas. Nothing says Merry Christmas like a 700 pg book on aviation and germaphobic warfare. I'm not complaining though. No one can pull off ocd sexier than Howard Hughes.
July 24, 2021
This is one of the most exhaustively researched biographies I've ever read. Considering the level of secrecy that surrounded Hughes's final decades, that's a true achievement. It's an even greater achievement to present roughly 600 pages on a single individual and keep it interesting. This is an excellent biography of Hughes, and I highly recommend it.
The springboard for Howard Hughes's success in life was a revolutionary drill bit invented, manufactured, and sold by his father. That not only created an enormous source of family wealth, but it also funded Hughes's different ventures once he inherited the entire operation at an early age. That drill bit remained a mainstay of oil exploration for over fifty years, and the steady stream of revenue from its manufacture allowed Hughes to plow money into movies and experimental aircraft.
Whatever Hughes did, he did in a big way. In making his WWI fighter pilot movie Hell's Angels, he accumulated the largest private air force in the world. By the time he completed the picture as a silent movie, movies with sound (or "talkies" as they were called) had become popular and so he recast and reshot most of the film.
He helped design a monoplane in which he set a world speed record in 1935, almost dying when the plane ran out of fuel and he had to belly land in a beet field. He went on to set several other aviation records, including a fastest-crossing-of-the-globe that earned him a ticker tape parade in New York City. Just after WWII, Hughes was flying an experimental spy reconnaissance plane he'd developed when one of its twin-rotor engines seized up. Crashing into a residential area near the Los Angeles Country Club, he suffered injuries and burns that led to a lifelong addiction to codeine.
This book gives us Hughes in all his glory and all his faults. While certainly visionary, he does not come across as the genius that his legend depicts. As a boss he was the awful combination of a micromanager who can not make decisions. He bankrupted RKO Pictures after purchasing it, and almost did the same thing to Trans World Airlines. In an ironic twist, once he surrendered control of Hughes Aviation it became one of the most lucrative and technologically advanced players in the defense industry.
His descent into madness is covered completely and analyzed well. At a time when he most needed professional help, he surrounded himself with people willing to indulge his every whim. This allowed Hughes to isolate himself from the rest of the world, and eventually allowed the people managing his day-to-day existence to acquire great power over his businesses. As self-serving gatekeepers, they decided what information he received and how he received it. They also supplied him with dangerous illegal drugs that he consumed or injected at levels that should have killed him well before his death at the age of 70.
The description of his final decades is sad and infuriating. His death isn't the end of the book, however, as the tale then moves into the fight for control of his remaining businesses and the search for a last will and testament that apparently never existed. The tales around the emergence of several fake wills are fascinating, and it's gratifying to read about the ouster of the individuals who so abused the trust of a mentally incapacitated, drug-addicted old man.
This is a fine book, quite well written, and well worth the time to read.
The springboard for Howard Hughes's success in life was a revolutionary drill bit invented, manufactured, and sold by his father. That not only created an enormous source of family wealth, but it also funded Hughes's different ventures once he inherited the entire operation at an early age. That drill bit remained a mainstay of oil exploration for over fifty years, and the steady stream of revenue from its manufacture allowed Hughes to plow money into movies and experimental aircraft.
Whatever Hughes did, he did in a big way. In making his WWI fighter pilot movie Hell's Angels, he accumulated the largest private air force in the world. By the time he completed the picture as a silent movie, movies with sound (or "talkies" as they were called) had become popular and so he recast and reshot most of the film.
He helped design a monoplane in which he set a world speed record in 1935, almost dying when the plane ran out of fuel and he had to belly land in a beet field. He went on to set several other aviation records, including a fastest-crossing-of-the-globe that earned him a ticker tape parade in New York City. Just after WWII, Hughes was flying an experimental spy reconnaissance plane he'd developed when one of its twin-rotor engines seized up. Crashing into a residential area near the Los Angeles Country Club, he suffered injuries and burns that led to a lifelong addiction to codeine.
This book gives us Hughes in all his glory and all his faults. While certainly visionary, he does not come across as the genius that his legend depicts. As a boss he was the awful combination of a micromanager who can not make decisions. He bankrupted RKO Pictures after purchasing it, and almost did the same thing to Trans World Airlines. In an ironic twist, once he surrendered control of Hughes Aviation it became one of the most lucrative and technologically advanced players in the defense industry.
His descent into madness is covered completely and analyzed well. At a time when he most needed professional help, he surrounded himself with people willing to indulge his every whim. This allowed Hughes to isolate himself from the rest of the world, and eventually allowed the people managing his day-to-day existence to acquire great power over his businesses. As self-serving gatekeepers, they decided what information he received and how he received it. They also supplied him with dangerous illegal drugs that he consumed or injected at levels that should have killed him well before his death at the age of 70.
The description of his final decades is sad and infuriating. His death isn't the end of the book, however, as the tale then moves into the fight for control of his remaining businesses and the search for a last will and testament that apparently never existed. The tales around the emergence of several fake wills are fascinating, and it's gratifying to read about the ouster of the individuals who so abused the trust of a mentally incapacitated, drug-addicted old man.
This is a fine book, quite well written, and well worth the time to read.
June 13, 2022
Sure, there is a lot of detail to it but that's necessary. You need to know about the deals he did, and so on to get a feel for his personality.
Hughes was definitely not a people person though oddly enough he ended up being highly dependent on his staff for the most personal of functions. Difficult to say whether his great wealth was a help or hindrance to him. He clearly had no great view on money, it was just something he used. Let's not forget he was almost Gandhi like about himself - hardly any clothes, no, real possessions he rented houses and rooms, and only ended up buying the hotel in Las Vegas because he was living there, didn't drive or get chauffeured, Spartan diet.
Quite why he became a hermit is not really explained but again what is strange about him is that he was in many ways the epitome of 20th century man, scientific,rational, logical, well informed, a believer in technology, a man without any religion, but then he reacted against the 20th century, the obsession with germs, living in hotel rooms sealed off from even daylight, refusing to see people, going native.
His madness seems to have been what we would now call compulsive obsessive disorder.Kept making lists, repeating himself,wanting everything at the right angle in just the right way. But, come on, he wasn't a maniac. And wasn't he entitlted to live on his own if he wanted, after his world record flight and the film stuff.
I would give him benefit of doubt in that I believe he wanted to do good in founding his medical institute, the authors are a bit unfair on him here. Sure, he wanted people to think well of him - who doesn't?
His life all fell apart in the end.
Hughes was definitely not a people person though oddly enough he ended up being highly dependent on his staff for the most personal of functions. Difficult to say whether his great wealth was a help or hindrance to him. He clearly had no great view on money, it was just something he used. Let's not forget he was almost Gandhi like about himself - hardly any clothes, no, real possessions he rented houses and rooms, and only ended up buying the hotel in Las Vegas because he was living there, didn't drive or get chauffeured, Spartan diet.
Quite why he became a hermit is not really explained but again what is strange about him is that he was in many ways the epitome of 20th century man, scientific,rational, logical, well informed, a believer in technology, a man without any religion, but then he reacted against the 20th century, the obsession with germs, living in hotel rooms sealed off from even daylight, refusing to see people, going native.
His madness seems to have been what we would now call compulsive obsessive disorder.Kept making lists, repeating himself,wanting everything at the right angle in just the right way. But, come on, he wasn't a maniac. And wasn't he entitlted to live on his own if he wanted, after his world record flight and the film stuff.
I would give him benefit of doubt in that I believe he wanted to do good in founding his medical institute, the authors are a bit unfair on him here. Sure, he wanted people to think well of him - who doesn't?
His life all fell apart in the end.
March 13, 2019
This book is incredibly detailed and painstakingly researched. The author has taken great care mapping out the entirety of the Hughes empire, including his ties to a who's who of Hollywood, politics, the mob, and beyond. You have to have patience to read it and it is alright to have to take a break from the book every once in a while. But Wow the detail. In many ways the man invented the airline industry himself. An incredible driven genius with many deep flaws. it, this is a fascinating read. When he makes himself a prisoner of his own madness the book becomes gritty and at times you feel real dis-spare and have to grind on through pars of it. As another reviewer stated, "there is a staggering amount of information to digest." His madness and his eccentricities, contributed to Hughes accomplished more in one life than most could ever dream. It is such a shame that this man had so many addictions and mental instability who knows what else he could have accomplished.
I also suggest that you read this book in conjunction with watching the Movie "The Aviator".
I also suggest that you read this book in conjunction with watching the Movie "The Aviator".
October 13, 2018
This is a looong book (over 650 pages); it took me two library check-outs to finish. It's not just about Howard Hughes, but also some history of drilling and aviation, of Las Vegas, of the Watergate scandal, about movers-and-shakers, lawyers, con artists, crooks, government misdeeds, human parasites and assorted atrocities Hughes suffered at the hands of his staff/aides/employees/caregivers in the later stages of his life. Fascinating, illuminating and finally sad. You just can't make this stuff up, Maynard.
July 23, 2015
Howard Hughes is a fascinating character. Unfortunately these authors have rendered his life story boring by burying the interesting material underneath a mountain of tedium. The book contains endless details about the corporate deals and business executives of the Hughes empire. It contains far less material about Hughes's bizarrely intriguing mind, personality, and lifestyle. I say skip this one and read Citizen Hughes instead.
August 22, 2022
Way too much detail about trivial matters. It was depressing to read as as it shattered my positive image of Howard Hughes. Hughes was a disaster as a businessman and he mental illness was much more profound than the germaphobia and reclusiveness. He was definitely a pioneering aviators and made a few notable films, but everything else he did was a disaster that was carefully covered up through masterful PR.
January 12, 2023
The book is incredibly thorough and well-written. I just lost the expectations game going in. I was hoping for what would basically be the true story behind 'The Aviator,' and this book briefly skims that stuff and goes into almost painstaking detail about everything else in his life. It tended to go on some long tangents, but this book definitely has an audience. That audience just isn't me, and that's not the book's fault.
February 13, 2016
An exhaustively researched book about a very strange man I knew nothing about. Not a business genius, rather someone who built an empire from the profits of his dad's company and somehow didn't burn through ALL of it. I recommend checking out the abridged version.
June 7, 2018
There has to be better books on Howard Hughes, this book was over-done with information about documentation and a plethora of other people only an accountant would find interesting, this book could be for you.
June 30, 2008
What a self absorbed pinhead this asshole was. Gave up on this book.
May 3, 2015
Below average
Interesting topic but was a grind to read. Not a book I would recommend but a topic I may look to read further on.
Interesting topic but was a grind to read. Not a book I would recommend but a topic I may look to read further on.
July 16, 2018
Too many technical descriptions of Hughes' schemes.
Hughes' detailed notes were funny though.
Hughes' detailed notes were funny though.
February 24, 2019
More technical information about his plans, etc of his planes. I liked the parts which seemed to capture the man.
October 2, 2020
Boring
Becomes very repititious after beginning chapters. Would not tbuy again and cannot recommend. Disappointed in the book and the way it almost rambles.
Becomes very repititious after beginning chapters. Would not tbuy again and cannot recommend. Disappointed in the book and the way it almost rambles.
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