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The Extraordinary Career of a Luxury Retailing Pioneer
Collins
April 2007
On Sale: April 10, 2007
224 pages
ISBN: 0061235377
EAN: 9780061235375
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Memoir
In this candid memoir, A. Alfred Taubman explains how a dyslexic Jewish kid from Detroit grew up to be a billionaire retailing pioneer, an intimate of European aristocrats and Palm Beach socialites, a respected philanthropist and, at age 78, a federal prisoner. With a unique blend of humor and genius, Taubman shows how selling fine art and antiques really isn't that different from marketing root beer or football, and offers penetrating insights into that quintessential palace of commerce, the luxury shopping mall. Alfred Taubman may not have invented the modern shopping center but, in the words of The New Yorker, "he perfected it." Taubman's life has been a storybook success, with its share of unique challenges. A pioneer builder and innovative real estate developer, he was also a brilliant land speculator, operator of a quick-serve restaurant chain, and owner of a major department store company. But what seemed like the pinnacle of his career, buying and reinventing the venerable art auction house Sotheby's, would lead to his conviction in an international price fixing scandal. Despite the twists and turns, Taubman's life and business philosophy can be summed up in one evocative phrase: Threshold Resistance. Understanding and defeating that forceΓ―ΒΏΒ½breaking down the barriers between art and commerce, between shoppers and merchandise, between high culture and popular tasteΓ―ΒΏΒ½has been his life's work.
 Media BuzzCharlie Rose - August 29, 2007
CBS Sunday Morning - April 15, 2007
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