• 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
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (683 ratings)

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Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters  By  cover art

Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters

By: Richard Hack
Narrated by: Dan Cashman
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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)

What listeners say about Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters

Average customer ratings
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    4 out of 5 stars

It was a good story and I bet a lot is missing.

It only takes a minute to look up words you aren’t familiar with to find out how to pronounce them. I give the narrator three hits for miss pronunciation of Wotan’s and words. Story was interesting.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator needs a dictionary!

Good book. Enjoyed it, less the narrator mispronouncing tons of words. If you don't know how to pronounce something.. look it up! Made an otherwise good book, grinding to listen to.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

This Review Needs a Title...So

Fine biography, sprinkled with twentieth century American history. Very very detailed biography. Starts with his death and the mysteries that surrounded it.

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fantastic

wonderful book- extremely well-written and enjoyable. well-rounded book with lots of great stories

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Drugs n money.

Amazing story. Amazing how one man did what he did. AMAZING the taxes he paid too.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

excentrisically interesting

the narrator managed voices very well and kept a pleasing tone and pace which compensated for the sometimes dry material.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Hughes Hater

The author's opinion of Hughes came out clearly in the narrative of the story. This book is not one that future researchers should use to find the history of Hughes, it is a novel with the writer's opinions laced throughout the book.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not really such an interesting man

Howard Hughes lead a life of nutty and/or brilliant behaviors--performed over and over again. But he never had the personal growth or relationships that make for a compelling biography.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Hughes Biography

Outstanding and very interesting - what a nut Howard turned out to be. Very good and enjoyed the entire book

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Detailed...

...Howard Hughes would have liked that ;-)
It's well written and the narrater has a nice voice. But the author should have mentioned the year and HRH's age more often. He also should have given more backround stories regarding the "girlfriends" - 50 female names and most of them only mentioned twice makes it hard to follow who is who and when the relationship took place. Othern than that the author did a good job describing the strange but exciting world of HRH.

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