Threshold Resistance by Alfred A Taubman

Threshold Resistance by Alfred A Taubman

In this candid memoir, A. Alfred Taubman explains how a dyslexic Jewish kid from Detroit grew up to be a billionaire retailing pioneer, an intimate of European aristocrats and Palm Beach socialites, a respected philanthropist and, at age 78, a federal prisoner.

With a unique blend of humor and genius, Taubman shows how selling fine art and antiques really isn't that different from marketing root beer or football, and offers penetrating insights into that quintessential palace of commerce, the luxury shopping mall. Alfred Taubman may not have invented the modern shopping center but, in the words of The New Yorker, "he perfected it."

Taubman's life has been a storybook success, with its share of unique challenges. A pioneer builder and innovative real estate developer, he was also a brilliant land speculator, operator of a quick-serve restaurant chain, and owner of a major department store company. But what seemed like the pinnacle of his career, buying and reinventing the venerable art auction house Sotheby's, would lead to his conviction in an international price fixing scandal.

Despite the twists and turns, Taubman's life and business philosophy can be summed up in one evocative phrase: Threshold Resistance. Understanding and defeating that force--breaking down the barriers between art and commerce, between shoppers and merchandise, between high culture and popular taste--has been his life's work.

A. Alfred Taubman is the founder of Taubman Centers, Inc., one of the nation's leading real estate developers and operators of regional shopping centers. During his business career he has owned Sotheby's Holdings, the Irvine Company, A&W Restaurants, the Woodward and Lothrop and John Wanamaker department store chains, and the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League. He also served as a director of R. H. Macy Co., Getty Oil Company, Chase Manhattan Bank, and United Brands. A major benefactor to educational, medical, and art institutions, he lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.