Includes bibliographical references (p. [227]-230) and index.

What kind of woman does it take to make the Midas marriage? Exploring the lives of the great fortune hunters of our day, reporter and former gossip columnist Charlotte Hays answers this tantalizing question. You'll learn about the South Carolina woman who took a trip around the world with a shipping magnate--only to meet and marry a marquis. You'll see what methods they use to lure their millionaires, including one playful fortune seeker who, at a high society soirée, hurled a piece of bread at her intended beau, starting a food fight. What are their recipes for riches? Can a genuinely nice woman pursue this career? What does love have to do with it? Hays casts a light on the determination, skill, and yes, ruthlessness, that have shaped some of the most successful-and lucrative--unions of our time.--From publisher description.