Long Island's natural beauty, its pristine shoreline and ocean beaches, its proximity and easy access from New York City, and its suitability for yachting and other recreational pursuits made it the perfect place for the leisure class. From the Civil War to the beginning of World War II, almost 1000 estates were built by the nation's richest and most prominent families, among them the Morgans, the Vanderbilts, the Hearsts, the Astors, the Whitneys, and many others.

While many of their wonderful mansions have been destroyed or converted to institutional use, hundreds still stand. All are here in a magnificent volume that is both a rich architectural history and a compendium of the architects and architectural firms who designed the breathtaking homes. Their ranks include Delano & Aldrich; Cass Gilbert; Richard Morris Hunt; McKim, Mead & White; Horace Trumbauer, Calvert Vaux; and Warren & Wetmore.