In the late nineteenth century, Newport, Rhode Island, was a cauldron of money, excess, and unapologetic greed, where reputations were made and lost in a whirlwind of parties and fancied sights. But amid the glamour of yacht races, tennis matches, and costume balls raged undeclared class warfare, scandalous doings, even madness.

In 1893 Sam Driver, railroad mogul and one of the few surviving "robber barons" of the lawless years after the Civil War, knocks of the door of fabled Newport with his daughter, Jenny, determined not to be turned away. In the past, his "new money" was tainted by his rapacious reputation, and even now, an enemy with a pedigree of wealth and position vows to slam every door in Sam's face. But he is determined to win a place in the strange rarefied world of Newport's brief summer season, presided over by social gadflies Ward McAllister and the androgynous Harry Lehr, both of whom will assist the Drivers ... for a price.

The Gods of Newport brings this gilded age of excess to thrilling life. It was a time and place whose extremes of greed, conspicuous consumption, and social striving have an astonishing resonance and relevance for the America we see around us today.

About the Author
John Jakes is the bestselling author of Charleston, the eight-volume Kent Family Chronicles, The North and South Trilogy, On Secret Service, California Gold, Homeland and American Dreams. Descended from a soldier of the Virginia Continental Line who fought in the American Revolution, Jakes is one of today's most distinguised authors of historical fiction. He lives in South Carolina and Florida.

About the Reader
Edward Herrmann's numerous theater credits include Mrs Warren's Profession, (Tony Award) The Philadelphia Story, Plenty, Love Letters, and an Obie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theater. His films include Intolerable Cruelty, Welcome to Mooseport, The Aviator, The Cat's Meow, Reds, The Purple Rose of Cairo. Mr Herrmann received an Emmy Award for his work on The Practice, and appears regularly as Richard Gilmore in the hit series Gilmore Girls.