This book tells the fascinating stories of some of Canada’s wealthiest people. It explores their often-modest beginnings and follows them to the peaks and excesses of their success, or in some cases, their spectacular downfalls. Here are some of the stories behind the money:

• The Bronfman family’s shady beginnings during Prohibition to the building of the blue chip Seagram empire
• Media baron Conrad Black’s meteoric rise to knighthood and his scandalous fall from grace
• Jimmy Pattison, the car salesman with the drive to succeed in everything he touches from advertising to groceries
• Izzy Asper, who went from Winnipeg lawyer to politician and on to become one of Canada’s most powerful media moguls
• The McCain family’s growth from small potatoes to the world’s largest french fry manufacturer
• Michael Lee-Chin, the Chinese-Jamaican son of a former Avon lady, who began as a university bar bouncer in Hamilton and went on to establish a billion-dollar mutual fund
• Edmonton milkman Bernie Ebbers’ slide from CEO of WorldCom to convicted criminal
• Kenneth Thomson, the enigmatic Baron Thomson of Fleet, art collector and owner of one of the world’s most powerful information services and academic publishing companies.

And more…