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The Billionaire Who Wasn't
- Author
- Conor O'Clery
- Narrator
- Bob Souer
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Publish Date
- 3 February 2026
- Run Time
- 15 hours 57 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
This bestselling book tells the inspiring life story of Chuck Feeney, known as the “James Bond of philanthropy.” Feeney made a fortune as cofounder of Duty Free Shoppers, the world’s largest duty-free retail chain. By 1988, he was hailed by Forbes magazine as the twenty-third richest American alive. But secretly Feeney had already transferred all his wealth to his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, and anonymously funded hospitals and universities from San Francisco to Limerick to New York to Brisbane, becoming one of the greatest and most mysterious philanthropists of modern times. His example convinced Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to pledge to give away their fortunes during their lifetimes.
This outstanding biography by Conor O’Clery is now updated to include the final chapter of Feeney’s life, addressing the challenges associated with giving away his last billion. It also takes stock of the Giving Pledge and how other billionaires have—and have not—lived up to its lofty promise.
Critics Review
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"Chuck Feeney is a remarkable role model, and the ultimate example of giving while living."—Bill Gates
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"A rollicking story of how, by stealth, an Irish American obsessed by secrecy built a business empire and revolutionised philanthropy."—Economist, best books of 2007
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"An engrossing look at an unusual, influential philanthropist...A superbly written, detailed look at Chuck Feeney, who gave away billions. Reads like fiction."—BusinessWeek, top ten business books of 2007
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"A gripping read."—Sunday Business Post
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"Chuck Feeney's success in business, coupled with his commitment to philanthropy, stands as living proof that it is possible to do well and do good at the same time."—Bill Clinton
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"You may never read a book as uplifting as Conor O'Clery's The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune. In vivid, unvarnished prose, The Billionaire Who Wasn't recounts Feeney's meteoric rise from blue-collar beginnings in Elizabeth, N.J., to a perch as one of America's titans of commerce, head of Duty Free Shoppers, the largest liquor retailer in the world."—Washington Post's Express
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"Feeney's beneficence already ranks among the grandest of any living American and may someday make him the most generous American philanthropist of all time."—Time
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"For Americas new generation of Internet and private equity billionaires, this is an exemplary tale."—FT.com
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"The riveting story of a billionaire who gave it all away disturbs deeply rooted assumptions about wealth and power...What makes him so fascinating, and gives such richness to O'Clery's brilliantly engrossing account, is that Feeney both embodies and rebukes the American Dream. O'Clery turns his prodigious research and mastery of sometimes intricate detail into a tight, pacey, crystal-clear narrative...An epic tale."—Irish Times
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"An interesting and well-written book defining a man whom most of us have never heard of."—Library Journal
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"Dublin-based journalist O'Clery presents an archetypal American success story, a rags-to-riches account with a twist...A smart business book detailing some vicissitudes of retailing, wrapped in a vivid biography of an engaging tycoon."—Kirkus Reviews
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"If [Conor O'Clery's] compelling narrative becomes a blue-print for future efforts to record the life stories of philanthropists, then the reading public might become far more aware of the major donors who have existed in their midst. O'Clery's account of how Charles 'Chuck' Feeney rose from a blue-collar New Jersey neighbourhood to immense riches as founder of global retail enterprise Duty Free Shoppers, and then gave almost every cent away, reads like a cross between a whodunnit and an airport business guru book."—Philanthropy UK
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Details
- Author
- Conor O'Clery
- Narrator
- Bob Souer
- Duration
- 15 hours 57 minutes
- Release Date
- 3 February 2026
- ISBN
- 9781668655443
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Genre
- Biography: business and industry, Charities, voluntary services and philanthropy, Non-profitmaking organizations
Synopsis
“Chuck Feeney is a remarkable role model, and the ultimate example of giving while living.” —Bill Gates This bestselling book tells the inspiring life story of Chuck Feeney, known as the “James Bond of philanthropy.” Feeney made a fortune as cofounder of Duty Free Shoppers, the world’s largest duty-free retail chain. By 1988, he was hailed by Forbes magazine as the twenty-third richest American alive. But secretly Feeney had already transferred all his wealth to his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, and anonymously funded hospitals and universities from San Francisco to Limerick to New York to Brisbane, becoming one of the greatest and most mysterious philanthropists of modern times. His example convinced Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to pledge to give away their fortunes during their lifetimes. This outstanding biography by Conor O’Clery is now updated to include the final chapter of Feeney’s life, addressing the challenges associated with giving away his last billion. It also takes stock of the Giving Pledge and how other billionaires have—and have not—lived up to its lofty promise.
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