"When I first began my career [as an art appraiser in the '70s], America became enthralled with "Upstairs/Downstairs." Now, forty years later, new versions of the same story lines have recaptured our fascination. While these have been pure fiction, what follows are true vignettes of Old Money life from my years among the rich and quietly famous. And I can assure my readers the real Biddles, DuPonts, and Rockefellers exhibited all the grandeur, falderal-and occasional witlessness-of their made-up British counterparts." -from "The Appraiser Calls, Encounters with Aristocracy" "The knowledgeable and always entertaining John Hazard Forbes takes us along as he unlocks the secret enclaves of exclusive families, often exposing much more than the mere value of their possessions." -E. Shaver, bookseller "The Appraiser Calls" is the latest addition to the Old Money America book series. Each chapter is a true recollection of the author's encounters with the very rich and quietly famous. Within each self-contained chapter, the reader will meet remarkable people of elegance, whimsy, courage, foolishness, and tragedy - plus the cover-up of a nasty crime. The Addendum section includes notes on Old Money savior faire, the secret language of America's oldest and richest families, and an actual room by room appraisal of every item inside an elegant New York City townhouse.