Publisher's Synopsis
Brewster's Millions is a humorous novel by George Barr McCutcheon, first published in 1902. The story follows Montgomery Brewster, a young man who inherits a large sum of money from his grandfather, but with one condition: he must spend $1 million in a year and have nothing to show for it at the end of that time. If he succeeds, he will inherit an even larger fortune of $7 million. Brewster, who has never had much money before, is excited about the challenge and sets out to spend his fortune in creative and often absurd ways. He hires an entire opera company to perform in his apartment, buys expensive jewelry for strangers, and even runs for political office. However, as the deadline approaches, Brewster realizes that he has almost reached his goal and must find a way to spend the remaining money without getting anything in return. Along the way, Brewster also falls in love with an aspiring actress, Barbara Drew, who initially sees him as a foolish spendthrift but eventually comes to appreciate his generosity and kindness. Brewster's Millions is a classic tale of wealth and extravagance, and a humorous commentary on the excesses of the Gilded Age. It has been adapted into several films, including a 1985 version starring Richard Pryor and John Candy.Brewster, confident that the stock could go no higher, and that sooner or later it must drop, calmly ordered his horse for a ride in the snow-covered park. Even though he knew the venture was to be a failure in the ordinary sense he found joy in the knowledge that he was doing something. He might be a fool, he was at least no longer inactive. The feel of the air was good to him. He was exhilarated by the glitter of the snow, the answering excitement of his horse, the gaiety and sparkle of life about him.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.