Autographed copy of this fascinating biography by Geoff Schumacher, author of "Sun, Sin & Suburbia: An Essential History of Modern Las Vegas." One of the most famous and enigmatic Americans of the 20th century, Howard Hughes packed theaters with his blockbuster films, thrilled the world with his aviation exloits, was linked with almost every major film beauty of the 1930's and '40's, and transformed his father's small fortune into a vast business empire, becoming one of the world's first billionaires.