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Biographical Note: James McAuley is the author of The House of Fragile Things: Jewish Collectors and the Fall of France, winner of the National Jewish Book Award in history. He is a former Paris correspondent for the Washington Post, as well as a contributor to the New York Review of Books and other publications. Review Quotes: "Engaging and detailed."--Stuart Halpern, Wall Street Journal "[An] enthralling biog-ra-phy. . . . [E]ven the byways that McAuley explores are intrigu-ing--from the pecu-liar-i-ties of oth-er Roth-schilds to the emer-gence of Arab nation-al-ism in Pales-tine. . . . Although two emi-nent schol-ars--Simon Schama and Niall Fer-gu-son--have pub-lished books on this fam-i-ly, McAuley has man-aged to carve out some-thing dis-tinc-tive."--Stephen Whitfield, Jewish Book Council "James McAuley brilliantly unwraps the mystery of Edmond de Rothschild: an aesthete in pursuit of beauty, a collector in search of objects, a Jew stung by antisemitism, and a philanthropist committed to his impoverished co-religionists in the land of Israel. McAuley has produced an absorbing, innovative, and elegantly written account of the life of Edmond, his wife Adelheid, and the extended French Rothschild family."--Derek Penslar, author of Theodor Herzl: The Charismatic Leader "How did a young French Rothschild become a passionate Zionist, one of the most consequential advocates for the Jewish people in history? That is the question at the heart of this superb biography of Edmond de Rothschild. McAuley, a gifted writer, brings his deep knowledge of nineteenth-century French Jewish history to the compelling story of this life."--Jean Strouse, author of Family Romance: John Singer Sargent and the Wertheimers "With scholarly rigor and narrative grace, McAuley traces Edmond de Rothschild's Zionist odyssey--from vision to implementation--situating his achievements within the crosscurrents of his time. Accessible, original, and deeply researched, this is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand a seminal architect of Zionism and the enduring legacy he left behind."--Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Park Avenue Synagogue, Manhattan, author of For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today "McAuley combines scholarly rigour with narrative flair to illuminate the enigma of Edmond de Rothschild. Elegantly written and immaculately researched, this is a definitive biography--fresh in insight, rich in character--of a philanthropist powered by conviction and an uncompromising pursuit of perfection."--Natalie Livingstone, author of The Women of Rothschild Publisher Marketing: An absorbing portrait of Edmond de Rothschild, who defied his class to help build a nation--and found his identity in the process Edmond de Rothschild (1845-1934) was born into one of the wealthiest families in history, but his legacy lies beyond banking, art, and aristocratic privilege. In this compelling biography, award-winning historian and journalist James McAuley tells the story of a man who defied his elite world to support a radical cause: the creation of a Jewish homeland. Drawing on rare access to archives--including Rothschild's own long-lost memoir--McAuley reveals how and why this reserved French aesthete became a driving force in the early Zionist settlement of Palestine. Rothschild's journey from the salons of Paris to the fields of Eretz Israel is a tale of emotional awakening, political conviction, and personal transformation--of a man's search for a cause and discovery of himself. |
