bridget griffen-foley

'A remarkable account of the Packer family.painstakingly researched.will enthral anyone with an interest in the media'. - Kate de Brito, The Daily Telegraph

Australia's richest man, Kerry Packer, came to the helm of Australian Consolidated Press a quarter of a century ago; in recent years his son, James, has begun taking over the reins of the group. But despite the legendary reputation of Kerry Packer and his father Sir Frank, and the popular fascination with young James, the story of the creation of the family dynasty has never been told.

This compelling book unravels, for the first time, Frank Packer's Machiavellian deals that resulted in the launch of the Australian Women's Weekly in 1933. From there it charts the production of the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs, the Nine network, the Bulletin and Cleo.

The House of Packer moves seamlessly from the bohemia of the newsroom to the intrigue of the boardroom; from the rumbustious style of celebrated editors to the feudalism of Sir Frank; from the bitter condemnation of political enemies to at times bizarre territorial disputes with the Fairfax and Murdoch dynasties.