Hetty: The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon

By Charles Slack

Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Business & Money

Charles Slack tells the life of Hetty Green, who built one of the great fortunes of the nineteenth century as an investor and lender. The book follows her from a Quaker whaling family in New Bedford through her inheritance battles, her shrewd investing in bonds and real estate, and her famously frugal habits. Slack challenges the myths that made her a caricature and shows the skill behind her success at a time when women had few legal rights.

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• Shane Parrish: “Sources for this Outliers episode on Hetty Green: Hetty: The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon and The Richest Woman in America.”