Barbara Goldsmith

Barbara Goldsmith is the bestselling author and historian of five award-winning books. Ms. Goldsmith has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was recently designated a “Living Landmark” by the New York Landmark Conservancy.

Grande Dame

Mrs. Astor Vanishes

Watching as Sotheby’s auctions off Mrs. Astor’s jewels, Barbara Goldsmith recalls her irreplaceable friend.

Barbara Goldsmith

The Johnson Family Tears

Casey Johnson's death was the latest chapter in the tragic saga of an American dynasty. Barbara Goldsmith, author of Johnson v. Johnson, on the family's struggles, including how, according to a relative, the heiress and her father hadn’t spoken in years.

Barbara Goldsmith

Jennifer Aniston's $50K Hairstyle vs. Librarian Pensions

So it’s come to this: New York paparazzi are chasing down elderly librarians—and turning them into scapegoats for our collective recession rage. Barbara Goldsmith on how our society rewards the wrong heroes.

Barbara Goldsmith

What the Richest Men in the World Don't Know

The best way to learn financial ethics is to study the lives of the nine wealthiest financiers of 1923. A quarter century later, they were all either dead, broke, or in prison.

Barbara Goldsmith

Why Rich People Are So Miserable

Battles over great fortunes usually reveal controlling, narcissistic parents and lonely children.

Barbara Goldsmith