Mine's Bigger: The Extraordinary Tale of the World's Greatest Sailboat and the Silicon Valley Tycoon Who Built It

Additional Mine's Bigger: The Extraordinary Tale of the World's Greatest Sailboat and the Silicon Valley Tycoon Who Built It Information

As the dominant venture capitalist of Silicon Valley, Tom Perkins had seemingly done it all—from amassing a billion-dollar fortune to getting himself convicted of manslaughter in France. But his ultimate dream was to create the biggest, fastest, riskiest, highest-tech, most self-indulgent sailboat ever built.

With keen storytelling and biting wit, bestselling author David A. Kaplan takes us inside the mind of an American genius and behind the scenes of an extraordinary venture: the birth of Perkins's $130 million marvel The Maltese Falcon. This modern clipper ship is as long as a football field and forty-two feet wide, with three rotating masts, each twenty stories high, and a bridge straight out of Star Trek. The riveting biography of a remarkable ship and the remarkable man who built it, Mine's Bigger is an unforgettable profile of ambition, hubris, audacity, and the imagination of a legendary entrepreneur.

What Customers Say About Mine's Bigger: The Extraordinary Tale of the World's Greatest Sailboat and the Silicon Valley Tycoon Who Built It:

Kaplan certainly profoundly hates the main character of his libel.The title in itself shows how much he dispises the immature childishness of the whole affair, just as children are comparing their little prickies.He has apparently shamelessly copied the substance of Tom Perkins' excellent book "Valley Boy" meanwhile adding some unrequired blah-blah to thicken the sauce, which unfortunately has gone sour.Meanwhile Tom's book is a delight to read due to its gently flowing style (maybe there is a flair of Steel in this respect),Kaplan's is cumbersome and as heavy as that of a clod-hopping peasant as if carelessly directly translated from yddish.How can this fellow spit his ink in Newsweek is amazing.

Hi Tom,It was a pleasure to work with you on the car book and I look forward to reading the boat book.Marshall

Like a eunuch, Mr. David Kaplan correctly characterizes him as narcissist who lacks the fundamental human trait of compassion for his fellow man (or woman). Perkins deserves more pity than scorn. Sadly, Mr. Perkins tries to compensate for his apparent 'shortcomings' in other areas by building an enormous ship.

In addition, the author gives the reader great insight into Tom Perkins personality and how he earned his way into owning the Maltese Falcon. A great read about a fascinting and innovative yacht which merges old and new technology very gracefully.

Along the way, readers will learn more about sailing and nautical engineering than they could ever have imagined caring to know. What follows is the story the "Maltese Falcon", the greatest sailing vessel ever built, a tale in which Perkins is no less driven (and, some might say, no more sane) than the seafaring protagonists of Melville and Hemingway. Although Kaplan literally fell down on the jibe in researching this book, his occupancy of one of the four guest staterooms on the Falcon's maiden voyage is testimony to his ability to go places that few of his readers ever will and come back with details, anecdotes and insight. "Mine's Bigger" reacquaints us with Tom Perkins, to whom author David A. Kaplan had previously introduced us as one of the leading venture capitalists behind "The Silicon Boys".