The Richest Man Who Ever Lived

The Life and Times of Jacob Fugger

By: Greg Steinmetz

Narrated by: Norman Dietz

Jacob Fugger lived in Germany at the turn of the 16th century, the grandson of a peasant. By the time he died, his fortune amounted to nearly 2 percent of European GDP. Not even John D. Rockefeller had that kind of wealth.

Most people become rich by spotting opportunities, pioneering new technologies, or besting opponents in negotiations. Fugger did all that, but he had an extra quality that allowed him to rise even higher: nerve. In an era when kings had unlimited power, Fugger had the nerve to stare down heads of state and ask them to pay back their loans - with interest. It was this coolness and self-assurance, along with his inexhaustible ambition, that made him not only the richest man ever but a force of history as well. Fugger helped trigger the Reformation and likely funded Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe.

The ultimate untold story, The Richest Man Who Ever Lived is more than a tale about the richest and most influential businessman of all time. It is a story about palace intrigue, knights in battle, family tragedy and triumph, and a violent clash between the 1 percent and everybody else.

©2015 Greg Steinmetz (P)2015 Tantor

meh

could have been so great but the writing wasn't clear and the story didn't seem to follow a timeline

Un interesante vistazo a la historia europea

Leer este libro te da un interesante vistazo a la vida en Europa en el Renacimiento y como Jacob Fugger forjó la mas grande fortuna de su tiempo y probablemente de la historia, además de su gran influencia en las cortes europeas, dejando una huella en el mundo de los negociad y las finanzas que perdura hasta hoy.

Very interesting

I really enjoyed this book at all that you told about financing in the people involved in it.

Narration is Boring

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator

Would you be willing to try another one of Norman Dietz’s performances?

I would give him a second, or even third chance, but if his narrations are as dry, monotonal, and unemotional as this one, No.

the biggest back room dealer of the middle ages

most of the world has never hear of this guy, but history happened because of him.
brilliant before his time. shrewd and cunning, wealthier than kings. amazing man. great read, enjoy

An excellent History of hey man most people don’t know

This historical account is packed with a lot of information and may be worth re-reading again. There are a lot of similarities with today’s current events bringing perspective to how we got to where we are today. Definitely a great read for anyone interested in free market and banking.

The First Book About Finance For Anyone

This book is a classic for good reasons. The story is told like an old grandfather teaching his kin about finance. It's told as a story and not a lesson on finance. This book is interesting and easy to understand. A great first finance book for anyone at any
age.
I read this book over 20 years ago and I never forgot it's lessons.

Not sure why the narrator hate

I can see someone finding this narrator a bit monotonous. But I enjoy his deadpan sarcastic tone. He was great in A Connecticut Yankee and I found he added to this narrative as well. The book gave an interesting perspective on European history and social political happenings.

Amazing

This is an amazing and extremely important story that reveals and teaches to a large extent how the world works even till this day. So much is projected out of this single story into today's dealings. Forget Game of Thrones and any series out there. This should be story to occupy such status in the motion screen. Plenty of material to make it a thriller while teaching history. But for the impact in and of Science and external unmeasurable phenomena; this story shows how all other measurable aspects influenced our present and still much of the future.

Great subject, descent writing, mediocre reading

Great subject, descent writing, mediocre reading. It is interesting and worth the time, but I would have died if I had listened at normal speed.