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A Full Cup: Sir Thomas Lipton's Extraordinary Life and His Quest for the America's Cup Audiobook
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(3.11) - 48 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Today Lipton means tea. However, in his time Sir Thomas Lipton was known for much more. Raised in desperate poverty, he became rich beyond his wildest dreams. he built a global empire of markets, factories, plantations, and stockyards. And his colorful pursuit of the America's Cup trophy made him a beloved figure on both sides of the Atlantic. In A Full Cup, Michael D'Antonio tells the tale of this larger-than-life figure. Beginning with a journey across the United States just after the Civil War, Thomas J. Lipton developed the ambition and learned the business techniques that helped him create the first chain of grocery stores. Wealthy before age thirty, he set his sights on the tea trade, and soon his name became synonymous with the product. Lipton's great business success makes for a compelling story of innovation and achievement. Moreover, though, Lipton's most intriguing creation was a public persona—one of the first formed with the help of a modern mass media—that appealed to millions of ordinary people, as well as the elites in America and Europe. Concocting simple stunts like elephant parades, Lipton mastered the new art of obtaining free publicity. With shameless self-promotion, he became one of the world's most eligible bachelors and a patron of the poor, and he ultimately reached legendary heights when he revived the competition for the America's Cup. With one losing attempt after another, the gallant Lipton, who didn't even know how to sail his own yacht, became ever more popular. D'Antonio's biography brings to vivid life this remarkable figure.
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"Book had me hooked even though Sir Thomas's personal life isn't covered in depth (mainly because he didn't have one). Quite a colorful figure and a dynamo of marketing and self-promotion. "
— Lorraine (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Lipton made all the right moves, and there are few flaws in Mr. D’Antonio’s nicely crafted volume.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“A Full Cup celebrates a remarkable man: a great philanthropist and entrepreneurial tradesman, blessed with style, flair, and, most of all, great spirit.”
— Washington Times -
“Entertaining and instructive.”
— DailyFinance -
“A Full Cup turns the life of grocer and tea entrepreneur Thomas Lipton into a thrilling story you won’t be able to put down.”
— Connecticut Post -
“D’Antonio excels at capturing the excitement of the races, and the good sportsmanship that endeared Lipton to America and England both. Lipton seems to have vanished into history, and D’Antonio is to be commended for capturing him so thoroughly…D’Antonio deserves praise for bringing Lipton’s remarkable life to our attention.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“A fascinating book for fans of yacht racing but also for anyone who enjoys biographies of nineteenth-century entrepreneurs.”
— Booklist -
D'Antonio is to be commended for capturing [Lipton] so thoroughly.
— Publishers Weekly
A Full Cup Listener Reviews
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" WELL WRITTEN BIO OF DRIVEN MAN "
— Nina, 12/11/2013 -
" This was interesting to me because of Sir Thomas Lipton's cup donation to the Grand Lake Yacht Club, and I learned a thing or two about immigration to America and the history of the America's Cup. Not sure I wold recommend this to anyone not interested in yacht racing history. "
— Molly, 7/11/2011 -
" Book had me hooked even though Sir Thomas's personal life isn't covered in depth (mainly because he didn't have one). Quite a colorful figure and a dynamo of marketing and self-promotion. "
— Lorraine, 5/13/2011 -
" Interesting story...I heard the author interviewed on NPR and would give him 4 stars for that interview. "
— Barbara, 4/20/2011 -
" I love the Americas Cup history. Wonderfully researched. "
— Glenn, 4/10/2011 -
" The book reads quickly and never gets bogged down as so many biographies do. Thomas Lipton led an amazingly interesting and varied life and this biography is well worth the time. "
— Rob, 1/7/2011 -
" Interesting story. Until I read this book, I assumed Lipton's fortune was from tea. I enjoy reading about entrepreneurs. Half this book was on Lipton's obsession with America's Cup. "
— Barbara, 12/10/2010 -
" Interesting story...I heard the author interviewed on NPR and would give him 4 stars for that interview. "
— Barbara, 8/26/2010
About Michael D'Antonio
Michael D’Antonio, as part of a team of journalists from Newsday, won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting before going on to write many acclaimed books, including Atomic Harvest and The Truth about Trump. He has written for Esquire, the New York Times Magazine, and Sports Illustrated. In his writings, he believes that readers always comes first, meaning that he owes them clarity, precision, and a good story, with loyalty to the facts and respect for the complexities of human character in context.
About David Drummond
David Drummond has made his living as an actor for over twenty-five years, appearing on stages large and small throughout the country and in Seattle, Washington, his hometown. He has narrated over thirty audiobooks, in genres ranging from current political commentary to historical nonfiction, fantasy, military, thrillers, and humor. He received an AudioFile Earphones Award for his first audiobook, Love ’Em or Lose ’Em: Getting Good People to Stay. When not narrating, he keeps busy writing plays and stories for children.