A Full Cup: Sir Thomas Lipton's Extraordinary Life and His Quest for the America's Cup by Michael D'Antonio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ever drink any Lipton tea? You'll never think of it in the same way after reading this book on the amazing life of Sir Thomas Lipton from Glasgow, Scotland. Brought up in very humble beginnings, where his parents owned one simple grocery story, Lipton went on to become one of the sparkling rich stars of the Gilded Age--a multi-millionaire who owned hundreds of grocery shops all over the United Kingdom, as well as the developer of the Lipton tea brand, with a large branch based in New York City (he owned huge tea estates in Ceylon/Sri Lanka, where he also had a well-equipped & situated mansion in the hills overlooking his fields). Later in life, Lipton become obsessed with seeking to win the America's Cup yachting race--which the U.S. had held for many decades. Lipton did his best, spending a good bit of his fortune over many years, and sponsored a boat and crew for 4 America's Cup races. Americans loved him and he garnered much publicity for his company as a result of his involvement in these races. But, he was never successful in wresting away The Cup. He did receive a special "Cup" for being such a good loser, for so many times--and he soaked up the attention & publicity & goodwill. Lipton was one of the age's pioneering showman for his businesses--adeptly using the new mass media channels to bring attention to his products. Quite a character--always jolly, friendly, outgoing, as well as being known as a shrewd entrepreneur. Thanks, Jeff Woods, for the loan of your old book, through the GLI Library in Kabul!


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