The Astors: America's Royal Family is a must-read for anyone interested in the glittering world of New York society during the Gilded Age.

With exquisite detail, Justin Kaplan brings to life the story of two cousins, John Jacob Astor IV and William Waldorf Astor, who vied for primacy in society, producing the grandest hotels ever seen.

This book is a gem, with writing that is "easy and graceful" (Megan Marshall) and "perfectly suited to his subject: what Henry James lovingly called 'hotel civilization'" (The New York Sun).

Don't miss out on this fascinating look at a bygone age that has not quite gone away.