The Monopolists
Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game
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Narrated by:
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Chris Sorensen
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By:
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Mary Pilon
About this listen
The Monopolists reveals the unknown story of how Monopoly came into existence, the reinvention of its history by Parker Brothers and multiple media outlets, the lost female originator of the game, and one man's lifelong obsession to tell the true story about the game's questionable origins.
Most think it was invented by an unemployed Pennsylvanian who sold his game to Parker Brothers during the Great Depression in 1935 and lived happily - and richly - ever after. That story, however, is not exactly true. Ralph Anspach, a professor fighting to sell his Anti-Monopoly board game decades later, unearthed the real story, which traces back to Abraham Lincoln, the Quakers, and a forgotten feminist named Lizzie Magie who invented her nearly identical Landlord's Game more than 30 years before Parker Brothers sold their version of Monopoly. Her game - underpinned by morals that were the exact opposite of what Monopoly represents today - was embraced by a constellation of left-wingers from the Progressive Era through the Great Depression, including members of Franklin Roosevelt's famed Brain Trust.
A fascinating social history of corporate greed that illuminates the cutthroat nature of American business over the last century, The Monopolists reads like the best detective fiction, told through Monopoly's real-life winners and losers.
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- Unabridged
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In 1988 Forbes magazine hailed Chuck Feeney as the 23rd richest American alive. No one knew until then that he was extremely wealthy. Or was he? Born during the Depression in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Feeney had made a fortune as co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers, the world's largest duty-free retail chain. How he did it is one of the great untold retail stories of modern times. The greater untold story is that Feeney had in fact given away his fortune, in its totality, to endow Atlantic Philanthropies - one of the most generous and secretive philanthropic funds in the world.
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Horizons I never knew were there!
- By DTU_Garza on 08-13-17
By: Conor O'Clery
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Dreamers and Deceivers
- True and Untold Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America
- By: Glenn Beck
- Narrated by: Jeremy Lowell
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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The new nonfiction from number-one best-selling author and popular radio and television host Glenn Beck.
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Astounding History stories gather life
- By Gil on 11-13-14
By: Glenn Beck
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Inside Scientology
- The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion
- By: Janet Reitman
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Scientology, created in 1954 by a prolific sci-fi writer named L. Ron Hubbard, claims to be the world's fastest-growing religion, with millions of members around the world and huge financial holdings. Its celebrity believers keep its profile high, and its teams of "volunteer ministers" offer aid at disaster sites such as Haiti and the World Trade Center. But Scientology is also a notably closed faith, harassing journalists and others through litigation and intimidation, even infiltrating the highest levels of government to further its goals.
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My cup of tea.
- By MWMcCabe on 08-09-11
By: Janet Reitman
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Black Titan
- A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire
- By: Carol Jenkins
- Narrated by: Susan Spain
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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A.G. Gaston, the poor grandson of slaves, was born in the Deep South in 1892. Over the course of his extraordinary life, he amassed a fortune of over $130 million and a vast business empire. The story of his remarkable life is written with eloquence and grace by his niece, an Emmy¿ Award-winning journalist and her daughter, who holds degrees from Yale and Harvard.
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Black Gold = Standing Ovation
- By 2Fresh on 01-20-16
By: Carol Jenkins
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Neither Snow nor Rain
- A History of the United States Postal Service
- By: Devin Leonard
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Few institutions are as loved, as loathed, and as historically important as the United States Postal Service, the subject of this landmark century-spanning social, political, and economic history. The United States Postal Service is a wondrous American creation. Seven days a week, its army of 300,000 letter carriers delivers 513 million pieces of mail, 40 percent of the world's volume. It is far more efficient than any other mail service - more than twice as efficient as the Japanese and easily outpacing the Germans and British. And the USPS has a storied history.
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Woa!, the post office's history is America
- By anon on 12-06-16
By: Devin Leonard
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Prince of Darkness
- The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire
- By: Shane White
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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In Prince of Darkness, a groundbreaking and vivid account, eminent historian Shane White reveals the larger-than-life story of a man who defied every convention of his time. He wheeled and dealed in the lily-white business world, he married a White woman, he bought a mansion in rural New Jersey, he owned railroad stock on trains he was not legally allowed to ride, and generally he set his White contemporaries' teeth on edge when he wasn't just plain outsmarting them.
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Not A Nice Man, But A Smart One!
- By AlTonya on 07-28-17
By: Shane White
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Ida M. Tarbell
- The Woman Who Challenged Big Business - and Won!
- By: Emily Arnold McCully
- Narrated by: Emily Arnold McCully
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Born in 1857 and raised in oil country, Ida M. Tarbell was one of the first investigative journalists and probably the most influential in her time. Her series of articles on the Standard Oil Trust, a complicated business empire run by John D. Rockefeller, revealed to readers the underhanded, even illegal practices that had led to Rockefeller's success.
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Excellent!
- By AKA1 on 03-16-19
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Hershey
- Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams
- By: Michael D'Antonio
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In this compelling biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael D'Antonio gives us the real-life rags-to-riches story of Milton S. Hershey, a largely uneducated businessman whose idealistic sense of purpose created an immense financial empire, a town, and a legacy that lasts to this day.
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The Benchmark for Chartiable, Rich Men
- By Boyd Tschaggeny on 01-30-19
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Endgame
- Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall—from America’s Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness
- By: Frank Brady
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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From Frank Brady, who wrote one of the best-selling books on Bobby Fischer of all time and who was himself a friend of Fischer’s, comes an impressively researched biography that for the first time completely captures the remarkable arc of Bobby Fischer’s life. When Bobby Fischer passed away in January 2008, he left behind a confounding legacy. Everyone knew the basics of his life—he began as a brilliant youngster, then became the pride of American chess, then took a sharp turn, struggling with paranoia and mental illness. But nobody truly understood him.
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A Trajedy
- By Roy on 02-27-11
By: Frank Brady
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The Fifties
- By: David Halberstam
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 34 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The Fifties is a sweeping social, political, economic, and cultural history of the 10 years that Halberstam regards as seminal in determining what our nation is today. Halberstam offers portraits of not only the titans of the age: Eisenhower, Dulles, Oppenheimer, MacArthur, Hoover, and Nixon; but also of Harley Earl, who put fins on cars; Dick and Mac McDonald and Ray Kroc, who mass-produced the American hamburger; Kemmons Wilson, who placed his Holiday Inns along the nation's roadsides; and more.
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one of the very best
- By Chester Chellman on 09-25-18
By: David Halberstam
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New World Coming
- The 1920s and the Making of Modern America
- By: Nathan Miller
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Jazz. Bootleggers. Flappers. Talkies. Model T Fords. Lindbergh's history-making flight over the Atlantic. The 1920s was also the decade of the hard-won vote for women, racial injustice, censorship, social conflict, and the birth of organized crime.
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My High School History Class Never Told
- By Charles Stembridge on 06-29-04
By: Nathan Miller
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The Forgotten Man
- By: Amity Shlaes
- Narrated by: Terence Aselford
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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It's difficult today to imagine how America survived the Great Depression. Only through the stories of the common people who struggled during that era can we really understand how the nation endured. In The Forgotten Man, Amity Shlaes offers a striking reinterpretation of the Great Depression. Rejecting the old emphasis on the New Deal, she turns to the neglected and moving stories of individual Americans, and shows how they helped establish the steadfast character we developed as a nation.
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a story of forgotten times
- By Debb Robinson on 10-11-07
By: Amity Shlaes
What listeners say about The Monopolists
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Minka Parish
- 03-24-15
I'll never look at Monopoly or any game the same.
This book should be a companion to every Monopoly board sold. Well researched by Ralph A and the author. Shame on the monopolizers.
Well done on the narration too.
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- T. Hoffman
- 03-18-15
Fascinating
Loved it. This is a story of American capitalism, for better, for worse, for entrepreneurial, for conglomerate, for radical, for game playing strategist. This is American history at its most fascinating.
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- Benjamin J. Handelman
- 08-07-18
Great story
Who would have thought the background of a board game could be so interesting? Really well told story, I can't wait to check out more from this author.
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- RevInTampa
- 08-23-15
Newcaster Type Narration of a Fascinating Story
I have spent countless hours playing the game of Monopoly with my children, family and friends and never really knew the story behind the game. Although the history of the game was printed in the games instructions, I never knew that history because the game (as with most players) was taught to me by others who already knew how to play so who had time for instructions?? 😆
The story of Monopoly's origins starts off like a locomotive leaving the station but once it is up to full speed the journey is well worth the trip. It reads/listens like a novel but the narrator was a little dry and a "just the facts" kind of of voice.
I highly recommend this story so at least you know the truth over who really invented it, who stole it and how the game industry really operates.
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1 person found this helpful
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- justannesopinion
- 05-09-15
Low key but interesting history lesson
A well researched and clearly told story that brings to light some interesting characters and snapshots of specific aspects of social and business history. Good level of detail without getting bogged down. Not a good choice if you want a white knuckle adrenaline trip, just a series of related stories connected ably.
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- Michael Carroll
- 08-06-18
Couldn’t put it down
Inhaled this book. Very interesting. Great for fans of Masters of Doom but need it to be even squarer. Many complaints re: the reader but I did not find him too interruptive.
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- Dear Samm
- 05-29-22
History of controversy
I really enjoyed the history and fun fact elements of this. How there were multiple origins, homemade elements, house rules and even how monopoly played a part in WWI and II. The voice actor was monotonous and I didn’t love all the ins and outs of the legal stuff but the overall story was interesting. Worth sharing if someone really
Loves history or board games or monopoly but not a “highly recommended” read
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- Kate M.
- 06-07-15
Interesting and fun (but BADLY read)
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would probably recommend the book instead of the audiobook. Loved the story but the narrator really made it difficult to listen to.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Monopolists?
I loved the story of Lizzie McGee and her major contribution to the board game market. She was far ahead of her time--fascinating, smart and interesting. I would have loved to have met her.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Chris Sorensen?
Sean Runnette would have been fantastic--he is my favorite. There are many others, too, who would have done a better job.
Sorensen sounds like a robot--he elongates the last word of every sentence.
I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks, and I only listen to nonfiction. I don't want the reader to be dramatic or "act out" the story, but a narrator who gives some character to the story via his or her delivery makes a difference.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Maybe, but to read not listen.
Any additional comments?
This really is an interesting story of a beloved board game and its place in history. I was very surprised at how interesting it was, and how much drama surrounded the game in its early days.
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- John Tusch
- 12-03-22
Fabulous story
A lifelong monopoly devotee, I was absolutely gripped by the story. The reading leaves a little something to be desired quite honestly, but the story is a magnificent yarn.
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