Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters

The Definitive Biography of the First American Billionaire

By: Richard Hack

Narrated by: Dan Cashman

Length: 17 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

"Howard Hughes would have hated this book...because he never wanted the truth to be told. As the man who knew Hughes best for 17 years and to whom he referred publicly as his alter-ego, I now believe that the entire story has finally been told." (Robert Maheu)

Howard Hughes was a true American original: legendary lover, record-setting aviator, award-winning film producer, talented inventor, ultimate eccentric, and, for much of his lifetime, the richest man in the United States.

His desire for privacy was so fierce and his isolation so complete that even now, 25 years after his death, inaccurate stories continue to circulate, and many have been published as fact. Hughes explodes the illusion of his life and exposes the man behind the myth. He was a playboy whose sexual exploits with Hollywood stars were legendary. He was a man without compassion; an entrepreneur without ethics; an explorer without maps; and ultimately, an eccentric trapped by his own insanity, sealed off from reality, who died a lonely and - until now - mysterious death.

Newly uncovered personal letters, over 110,000 pages of sealed court testimony, recently declassified FBI files, never-before-published autopsy reports and exclusive interviews reveal a man so devious in his thinking, so perverse in his desires, and so influential that his impact continues to be felt even today. From entertainment to politics, aviation to espionage, the influence and manipulation of this billionaire has left an indelible and unique mark on the American cultural landscape.

©2001 New Millennium Audio, All Rights Reserved (P)2001 New Millennium Audio, All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

"In the most exciting bio of the year, Hack presents the American dream curdling into the American nightmare, personified in a legend who at last has an accounting worthy of him." (Publishers Weekly)
"A fascinating, captivating listen." (AudioFile)

very entertaining

This audio was a fast hear. His life is absolutly fasinating.

A Good Listen

It's a little bit different perspective than other stories about Howard Hughes. However, as with everything, it's a shame what money can do to people.

Worth the listen

My frustrations aren’t with the book, but with hearing all of the accounts of what petulant child Hughes was and how he was never taken to task. Definitely worth the read/listen

Best biography

I thought The Last Lion, American Cesar, and John Adams were the best biographies Audible had to offer. I was wrong, Howard Hughes is a must read !

Hughes

One of the best Biographies read. Provides information never known about the subject. Excellent flow and continuity.

Fascinating Story With Great Narration

Dan Cashman is a great voice actor/narrator...which is important if you will be listening to his voice for 18 hours. Occasionally the book is bogged down in detail related to legal proceedings and financial transactions. However, the inclusion of such detail is often employed effectively in illustrating the effect of Hughes' obsessiveness. Interesting until the end!

Very interesting biography, disturbing

I expect this book will contrast greatly with the current movie "Aviator" about this strange man. It's not just his eccentricities that developed later in life that make him strange. Hughes developed neurotic tendencies early in life. He was not a very good man, but certainly a very lucky man, and a clever man at times. It became uncomfortable to listen to the meaningless, dragging out final years of his life. It didn't help that I was bed ridden with bronchitis while I was listening to it :-)

Amazing

What an amazing life Hughes had. He went totally whacko in the last half of his life and was way out of touch with the real world as evidenced by his crazy operational memos and his obsession with germs. For a man so wealthy, I was amazed that he lived such a deprived, narrow, unhealthy, unclean and depressing life - he was a billionaire living in squalor. I'm just an average Texas working class guy but found this book inspiring inasmuch at it made me appreciate the great life I have with my family and the fact that it doesn't take money enjoy life. As an aside, this book was extremely well narrated by Dan Cashman, so much so that my next book selections have been influenced by taking a look to see what other books he has narrated. Get and listen to this book ? I guarantee that you won?t be disappointed.

this book lives up to its publicity

This could well be 'the most exciting bio of the year'. Poor old Howard Hughes, who really had nothing much apart from his looks and his vast fortune, would be turning in his grave to know how much of his private life is now public and how many of his secrets are in the public domain. His strange rituals and habits are morbidly fascinating, but in the end I just felt sorry for him. Life lived and ended almost entirely in one filthy room, filled with drugs and attended by people who cared more about themselves than about him is a terrible way to go.

Interesting story about an eccentric man

I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about Hughes. I think it was a balanced account, and the author did a good job. We get to hear about both good and bad sides of Hughes and the people around him. There is a lot of details, and I really wonder how on earth the author knows about some of them. He describes a can on a lawn and how that can ended up under some bushes and remained there for many months. One can't help wondering how the author knows about this, and the question then arises about so many other details - are they true or invented for the sake of art? The book tended to focus on the private life of Huhges - the women, the flying and so on, and I would have liked to hear a little bit more about the business side. All in all, a good read and well worth it.