The Rothschild family between 1744 and 1961, chiefly in Germany, Austria, France and Great Britain (with some account of those in Denmark and in the United States). "For the last 150 years the history of the House of Rothschild has been to an amazing extent the backstage history of Western Europe. How the Rothschilds gained eminence and kept it to this day is a phenomenon that transcends business ability. It is rooted in the virtuoso use of the family as a power unit." (p. 5).