Vintage Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters

Drawing on Hughes's personal diary entries and letters, the author presents an intimate look at the life, personal nature, and work of the private and eccentric billionaire businessman. From Library Journal There have been previous biographies of Howard Hughes the most infamous being Clifford Irving's hoax in 1972 but this is likely to be the most thorough, written 25 years after the billionaire's death. Hack had access to Hughes's private papers and declassified FBI and CIA documents; he also interviewed people who worked in many of Hughes's enterprises. The author begins with Hughes's childhood, the only son of a wealthy Houston oilman. The lifelong income from Hughes Tool Co. allowed Hughes to set lofty goals and seek to fulfill them: to become a great golfer (one goal that went by the wayside), to be an aviator (his early triumph as a solo pilot led to the creation of Hughes Aircraft, the Spruce Goose, and TWA), and to make movies. Hughes wooed Hollywood starlets, though he married only twice. He became increasingly reclusive, with his behavior going from eccentric to bizarre. Narrator Dan Cashman reads clearly, but there are some obvious mispronunciations (Sukor instead of Cukor, for the Hollywood director, among others). A good choice for popular collections. Nann Blaine Hilyard, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.