I got this expecting a fun read, and had no serious demands for the facts and history. Yes it was enormous fun, but it was also very very well written, full of fascinating history and authentic detail and in short a rather amazing story. I can readily see why it spawned a television series, but oddly enough, instead of the TV adaptation being more sensational than the reality, the opposite is true. The book has more real sensational groundbreaking advertising adventures and the man himself turns out to be even more of a happy hardworking buccaneer than the TV series shows. Season two of the TV series just plain abandons the history of the man and his store's contributions to mercantile commerce and shopping, whereas the book continues on to catalog ever greater heights. The true story is far better. So yes, I'd definitely recommend this book. It's very readable.

Share/Like this Review?