Investigations begin in the headlines but can end in silence. I thought we should get the record straight on this one. A public records request got the DA to put it in writing: The investigation ended with no charges agains the attorney, accountant or anyone else. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/no-charges-heiress-huguette-clarks-300-million-fortune-n86951
What's the Corcoran thinking?
Questions for the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., which is folding its tent. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/45699/the-great-divide-22-questions-for-the-corcoran/
Fiddle-dee-dee
Joshua Bell plays Huguette Clark's (second-best) Stradivarius violin on NBC's Today show. Matt Lauer visited Christie's in New York to hear the violin and to see paintings by Monet and Renoir owned by Huguette, the lady of "Empty Mansions." Video here: http://www.today.com/video/today/55008623#55008623
You know you want the paperback
In stores on Tuesday: Here's a first look at the cover of the updated paperback edition of the No. 1 bestselling biography "Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune." Buy here: http://emptymansionsbook.com/buy-the-book/. "Empty Mansions" is available now in four formats: hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audiobook (which includes audio of Huguette). Carefully drawn from interviews with Huguette, her personal papers, and testimony of her inner circle, "Empty Mansions" has been updated with the outcome of the court battle for her $300 million estate. The same photos (more than 70) are in the hardcover, paperback, and e-book. More about the book: "Empty Mansions" is a mystery of wealth and loss — and a secretive heiress named Huguette Clark. Though she owned palatial homes in Santa Barbara and Connecticut and New York, why had she lived for twenty years in a simple hospital room, despite being in excellent health? Empty Mansions unravels the story of her remarkable family, from the father, W.A. Clark, the copper king, founder of Las Vegas, and controversial U.S. senator from Montana, to his daughter, the generous artist who held a ticket on the Titanic and was still living in New York City on 9/11. Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Bill Dedman, who discovered Huguette's story for NBC News, has collaborated with Huguette Clark's cousin, Paul Clark Newell, Jr., one of the few relatives to have conversations with her. "Empty Mansions" is the story of an eccentric of the highest order, a last jewel of the Gilded Age who lived life on her own terms. Published in September 2013 by Ballantine Books (Random House), "Empty Mansions" debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. It was named one of the best books of the year by Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com, and one of the favorites of the year by New York Times book critic Janet Maslin. It has stayed on the bestseller lists from The New York Times and Indie Bound (independent bookstores) for nine weeks, and The Los Angeles Times list for fourteen weeks. Available here: http://emptymansionsbook.com/buy-the-book/.
Want to buy a piece of Huguette's art?
See video here of the preview showing of the art collection of Huguette Clark, heroine of "Empty Mansions," at Christie's in New York. (I was not aware until today that the self-portrait by Huguette is among the items being sold.) This is just a preview show. More than 400 items will be on view and for sale in June. From a press tour on the first day of the show, CBS 2 New York's Tony Aiello reports: http://emptymansionsbook.com/video/. See the schedule of showings and sales at http://nbcnews.com/clark.
Which actress should play Huguette?
And the inevitable poll: Who should play Huguette Clark in the film version of "Empty Mansions" http://www.independent.com/polls/2014/apr/who-should-play-huguette-clark-newly-announced-mov/results/
Check out Huguette's art before the auction
Tour reclusive heiress Huguette Clark's art collection. See more photos at this link, and public viewings of the collection begin Friday in New York: paintings (Monet, Renoir, Sargent, Chase), rare books (Whitman, Baudelaire), musical instr...See More — at Christie's.
An 'empty mansion' sells
Empty for 60 years, the extra mansion of Huguette Clark in New Canaan, Connecticut, sold today for $14.3 million to designer Reed Krakoff. This is the house that began unraveling the story of the reclusive heiress in 2009. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/heiress-huguette-clarks-extra-mansion-sells-14-million-n79536
Want to win a signed copy?
Montana Public Radio is giving away three signed copies of our biography of the Clarks of Montana, "Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune," as premiums during its fundraiser.http://mtpr.org/donate-mtpr
The 'Empty Mansions' of Babel!
More good news: "Empty Mansions" has found a publisher in Brazil. Add that to the list, including the U.K. (out now), the former Commonwealth countries (out now in Australia, New Zealand, et al.), and Italy. So look for "Empty Mansions" in Italian or Portuguese soon!
Wait, wait ... it's worth the wait!
How long is the waiting list at your library? "Empty Mansions" makes the list of books most often borrowed at libraries in March. http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2014/04/best-sellers/best-sellers-books-most-borrowed-march-2014/
When you've made C-SPAN, is there anywhere else to go?
Here's the C-SPAN video from our book talk about "Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune," at the Tucson Festival of Books. The show is available online now, and will repeat on C-SPAN2 at 2 a.m. ET on Monday. Paul Clark Newell Jr. and I were interviewed by journalist Bill Buckmaster, and we answered audience questions about Sen. W.A. Clark and his youngest daughter, the reclusive Huguette. http://www.c-span.org/video/?318444-3%2Fbook-discussion-empty-mansions.
