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Fall: The Mysterious Life and Death of Robert Maxwell, Britain's Most Notorious Media Baron Hardcover – February 9, 2021

by John Preston (Author)

4.4 223 ratings

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Winner of the UK’s 2022 Costa Prize for Biography

“A portrait of one of the most enigmatic figures in the annals of white-collar crime. . . . A well-researched, compelling book that uncovers many mysteries about a media tycoon.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the acclaimed author of A Very English Scandal, a thrilling and dramatic true-life account of the rise and fall of one of the most notorious media moguls of all time: Robert Maxwell.

In February 1991, Robert Maxwell triumphantly sailed into Manhattan harbor on his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, to buy the ailing New York Daily News. Taxi drivers stopped their cabs to shake his hand, children asked for his autograph, and patrons of the hottest restaurant in Manhattan gave him a standing ovation while he dined. Ten months later, Maxwell disappeared off that same yacht in the middle of the night and was later found dead in the water. As John Preston reveals in this entertaining and revealing biography, Maxwell’s death was as mysterious as his remarkable life.

A tightly paced, addictive saga of ambition, hubris, narcissism, greed, power, and intrigue, Fall recounts Maxwell’s rise and fall and rise and fall again. Preston weaves backwards and forwards in time to examine the forces that shaped Maxwell, including his childhood as a Jew in occupied Eastern Europe through his failed political ambitions in the 1960s which ended in accusations of financial double-dealing, and his resurrection as a media mogul--and on to the family legacy he left behind, including his daughter Ghislaine Maxwell.

Preston chronicles Maxwell’s all-encompassing rivalry with Rupert Murdoch—a battle that ruined Maxwell financially, threatened his sanity and lead, indirectly, to his death. Did Maxwell have a heart attack and fall overboard? Was his death suicide? Or was he murdered—possibly by Mossad or the KGB? Few in the twentieth century journeyed as far from his roots as Robert Maxwell. Yet, as Fall reveals, no one, however rich and powerful, can entirely escape their past.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harper
Publication date

February 9, 2021
Dimensions

6 x 1.13 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0062997491
ISBN-13

978-0062997494
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"John Preston tells [the story] with great verve and the benefit of extensive interviews. . . . Mr. Preston zips through Maxwell’s business and political journey. . . . The portrait that emerges is more subtly drawn than previous ones." — The Economist

"A portrait of one of the most enigmatic figures in the annals of white-collar crime....A well-researched, compelling book that uncovers many mysteries about a media tycoon." — Kirkus Reviews

"Preston's prose is compelling, and the mystery of this larger-than-life figure is perplexing--true crime aficionados will be absorbed." — Library Journal

"A fascinating study in character.” — InsideHook

About the Author

John Preston is a former journalist and arts editor of the Sunday Telegraph. He is the bestselling author of six books, the most recent of which, A Very English Scandal, was made into a BAFTA- and Golden Globe Award–winning television series starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw. The film adaptation of his novel, The Dig, has been released on Netflix starring Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, and Lily James.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper (February 9, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062997491
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062997494
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.13 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,011,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #140 in Book Publishing Industry
- #1,518 in Journalist Biographies
- #3,001 in Rich & Famous Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.4 223 ratings

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4.4 out of 5

223 global ratings

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NYC EDM

Great book!

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2021

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So interesting and well written. Truly enjoyed! Amazing and shocking fall from grace. Quite a sad story in many ways but he certainly got what he deserved.

3 people found this helpful

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Wiliam L. Mcdowell

Interesting

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2022

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Interesting and kind of sad.

One person found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Great read, well researched.

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2021

Verified Purchase

I rocketed through this book and found it highly informative.

If, like me, you remember Maxwell's death and the publicity surrounding it, but were too young to have really experienced him in action for much of the rest of his life, you will really enjoy this read. A fascinating character with a high octane lifestyle. Thought provoking as well.

One person found this helpful

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Lia Mamniashvili

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2021

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A well narrated story of a fascinating life showing there may so much into one man's life story

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2021

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Robert Maxwell led an extraordinary life, and John Preston captures his adventures and downfall in a page-turning biography. It is hard to believe that Maxwell rose to such heights of wealth and power, though obviously he was very smart and had great talents. More believable was his collapse, where, in the end, he was drinking heavily, falling asleep in meetings and lashing out at anyone and everyone. He was smart enough to know that his game of robbing Peter to pay Paul could not last forever. Great book!

8 people found this helpful

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Jeff Bancroft

Very indepth study of RM

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2021

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I have always found the whole Robert Maxwell death to be I threshing with all of its conspiracy theories so I wanted to read a good biography of his life and the incidents around his death to see if I could come up with my own conclusion. I have; I believe it was an accidental death.

4 people found this helpful

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I. David

The Crash of a Megalomaniac

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2021

In Fall: The Mysterious Life and Death of Robert Maxwell, Britain’s Most Notorious Media Baron, author John Preston describes the rise and fall of Robert Maxwell. While Maxwell controlled a vast media empire during the 1970s and 1980s, his name has all but disappeared from the headlines. That is, until recently, when his daughter, Ghislaine Maxwell, was indicted and tried for her alleged assistance to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Preston brings the memory of Robert Maxwell back to life with this engrossing page-turner.

Maxwell’s story can be divided into three parts. The first part of the story is how he became Robert Maxwell. It begins with Maxwell, then named Jan Hoch, escaping his home in Czechoslovakia just before the Holocaust. Preston wastes little time describing his thrilling adventures throughout the War where he worked in multiple roles and changed his name several times. He ultimately ended up working for the British where he adopted the very British name of Robert Maxwell.

One of his roles during the War was that of a spy. And Preston suggests that Maxwell may have continued with his espionage activities (possibly for Britain, or Russia or Israel or for more than one of the above) well after the War ended. Preston does not delve deeply into this issue. Instead, through his brief description of Maxwell’s work as a spy and his ability to slip in and out of new identities, Preston simply lays the foundation for a man that may not be all that he seems and may be something of a con man.

The second part of the story is how Maxwell built his media empire. During this period, Maxwell purchased multiple publications, grew very rich, and befriended some of the most powerful people in the world. Preston suggests that there may be something shady about the source of Maxwell’s wealth and the way that he managed his companies. Another author may have dug deeper into this issue and given more details regarding Maxwell’s finances. But, Preston again chooses not to delve too deeply into this issue. Instead, he moves quickly through the financial dealings and uses them to reinforce the mystery surrounding Maxwell.

The last part of the story describes how Maxwell’s empire fell apart. In this part Preston describes the failures of the individual corporate ventures and Maxwell’s futile efforts to do everything he can to possibly save them.

Since Maxwell built a media empire that came crashing down to earth this could have been a story about corporate intrigue. But it is not. It is simply a story about Robert Maxwell. Preston learned about Maxwell through his numerous interviews with Maxwell’s former associates and employees. While Preston describes many of Maxwell’s actions, such as his cruelty to some of his employees, in detail, he carefully leaves much of his life in the shadows. Maxwell, the enigma, coming to his fall, is what this book is all about. This is an excellent read. I give it 4 stars and recommend it for everyone.

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Amazon Customer

An unreliable book about an unreliable character

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

This book fails on several accounts. It reads like a yet to be corrected high school essay from an author in need of remedial writing. More importantly, its sometimes sensationalized content is unsupported by footnotes or notes of any kind. The author lists his "sources" for each chapter which consist, in some cases, of a single Playboy interview, a transcript of a broadcast, a few books and a short list of those interviewed. Anecdotes, claims and assertions are left unattributed either as to person, date or context, making suspect much of the book's content. Whatever meagre research the author may have done appears not to have uncovered any material not already known, and in some cases the first names of persons mentioned in the narrative are omitted or grievously misspelled, even allowing for local variations. The burial of Maxwell in Israel, supposedly a description by a British newspaper photographer, is so bizarre and against Jewish custom as to make it unbelievable. Whether better editing could have improved the book is questionable. The lack of footnotes and endnote citations is unpardonable and renders the book an unreliable account of an undoubtedly unreliable man.

24 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Kate Costelloe.

An extraordinary book about an extraordinary man.

Reviewed in Canada on January 25, 2022

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Even though I knew quite a lot about Maxwell having read about him in numerous books and articles I was still
Surprised by just how powerful he became over the years. Bankers and other influential people tripped over themselves to loan him vast amounts of money without ever investigating what was really going on behind the scenes.

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Great bopk

Reviewed in India on December 12, 2023

Verified Purchase

Astonishingly well written. Describes Maxwell's life. I fully recommend this. So surprised that Maxwell fooled every body. Sad at his end

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