About the Author

Richard Conniff, a Guggenheim Fellow and winner of the National Magazine Award, writes for Smithsonian and National Geographic and is a frequent commentator on NPR's All Things Considered and a guest columnist for the New York Times. His books include The Natural History of the Rich, Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time, and The Species Seekers. He lives in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Reviews

"Clever, perceptive and unfailingly interesting." -- Jonathan Yardley - Washington Post "Droll and delightful...Conniff's charm and fun-loving approach make his book a pleasure from start to finish." -- New York Sun "A clever, invaluable zoomorphic study with a wealth of information on what makes the rich tick." -- Kirkus Reviews "A feast of research findings...[Conniff's] archly comic tone matches his subjects perfectly." -- New York Times Book Review "Amusing and insightful." -- Boston Herald "Conniff proves that his naturalist's approach to understanding the rich...really does generate insights and even understanding." -- Dallas Morning News "Hilarious." -- New York Magazine "Conniff [is] Truman Capote-and Dominick Dunne-like...a valuable field guide...endlessly fascinating." -- San Diego Union-Tribune "Conniff manages to pull off the ideal mixture of detached amusement and actual scientific fieldwork." -- The Day "This book...may change for ever our perception of the urge to make money." -- The Financial Times "A witty compendium of gossip, anecdotes, history and sociobiological research." -- Town and Country "A literate, gossipy and altogether engaging romp." -- Smithsonian Magazine "As one who has long had a fascination with the idiosyncrasies of the possessors of great wealth, I was intrigued with Richard Conniff's book The Natural History of the Rich. It is anecdotal, witty, and wonderfully informative." -- Dominick Dunne "In this witty, well-written field guide, Richard Conniff studies the rich as a biologist studies the mighty mountain gorilla. In the process, he brings the rich down to earth as not only merely human, but distinctly animal." -- Frans de Waal, author of The Ape and the Sushi Mas "A delightful field-study of the habits of the rich and famous, full of acutely observed insights." -- Desmond Morris, author of The Naked Ape