FOUNDER: A Portrait of the First Rothschild & His Time

In FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Tevye sings, "If I were a rich man." In the original Sholem Aleichem stories that the musical is based on, Tevye sighs, "If I were a Rothschild." The most powerful banking family in the world, the Rothschilds emerged from the Frankfurt ghetto in the late 1700's and are still prominent today. Little is known about the founder of the clan, Meyer Amschel Rothschild, an omission Amos Elon seeks to rectify with this fascinating book. Michael Prichard narrates in the style of the old newsreels, an approach oddly complementary to the text. Y.R. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 99]