In MOSES OF THE NEW WORLD, author Samuel Lee has done excellent research about the life of Baron Maurice de Hirsch. Little has been written about this Baron, and Lee's book is an important resource for those who are interested in Baron de Hirsch's history of philanthropy.

The Baron truly was a fascinating man. The sole flaw of this biography, and the reason it only gets "four stars" rather than five, is the author's circumspection. In several places, he mentions that the Baron left "natural" sons who were not the issue of his wife. It only can be assumed that the Baron had illegitimate children. Certainly, a fact this intriguing deserves to have further details divulged, especially since author Lee states that the Baron's wife herself adopted his biological sons. The author, in turn, tastefully adopts silence regarding this matter.

The book closes with excerpts of some of the Baron's obituaries. One quote states that the Baron's friendship with Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria had been a topic of much speculation. No where else in this biography is this Prince so much as mentioned, however. Was the Baron the banker of the Prince? Did they go off together debauching? Certainly, such a tantalizing statement deserves some explication.

Still, the author does an excellent job of presenting the Baron's personal biography, along with copious details of his philanthropies, some of which flourish even a century later. For this, Samuel Lee must be commended.