The irresistibility of the Texas rich in particular has persisted to this day, even as the most recent Texas president was leaving the White House in ignominy. Our super­rich are the gift that keeps on giving, a consistent and gloriously entertaining reminder that life can always be lived bigger, better and, sometimes, appallingly dumber than the average human mind can imagine. Bryan Burrough would seem a natural to chronicle this world, and to a large part, in “The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes,” he succeeds.