The Start: 1904-1930

20th Century Journey #1

by William L. Shirer, Grover Gardner (narrator)

William L. Shirer was a CBS foreign correspondent and renowned author of New York Times best-selling nonfiction about World War II, and this is the first part of his three-part autobiography.

A renowned journalist and author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William L. Shirer chronicles his own life story in a personal history that parallels the greater historical events for which he served as a witness.

In this first volume, Shirer tells of his early life, growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and later serving as a new reporter in Paris. In this surprisingly intimate account, Shirer details his youthful challenges, setbacks, rebellions, and insights into the world around him. He offers personal accounts of his friendships with notable people, including Isadora Duncan, Ernest Hemingway, and Sinclair Lewis.

This fascinating personal account also provides an illuminating look into the lost era of pre-World War II - and is notable as much for its historical value as for its autobiographical detail.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, American History, World War II, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published September 15, 1976

About the author

William Lawrence Shirer was an American journalist and historian. He became known for his broadcasts on CBS from the German capital of Berlin through the first year of World War II.

Shirer first became famous through his account of those years in his Berlin Diary (published in 1941), but his greatest achievement was his 1960 book, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, originally published by Simon & Schuster. This book of well over 1000 pages is still in print, and is a detailed examination of the Third Reich filled with historical information from German archives captured at the end of the war, along with impressions Shirer gained during his days as a correspondent in Berlin. Later, in 1969, his work The Collapse of the Third Republic drew on his experience spent living and working in France from 1925 to 1933. This work is filled with historical information about the Battle of France from the secret orders and reports of the French High Command and of the commanding generals of the field. Shirer also used the memoirs, journals, and diaries of the prominent British, Italian, Spanish, and French figures in government, Parliament, the Army, and diplomacy.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Shirer's Berlin Diary, Rise & Fall of the Third Reich, Fall of the Third Republic and Memoir of Gandhi, I was quite interested in obtaining his three volume autobiography of which this is the first volume. With all this background it is perhaps unsurprising that I enjoyed this book immensely. It is, however, the work least related to the others in that it only overlaps at its end with his experiences overseas. Much of it is about his youth and college years in the States, and, most entertainingly, how he got over to Europe upon graduating from Coe College in Iowa. The reminiscences about the Chicago Tribune's foreign desk at night are priceless and Shirer manages to convey the charm of the period and the naivete of the youth he was as he worked and drank with the bohemian Americans enjoying the life of post-war Paris. As ever, his contacts were fortuitous, many of his companions going on to fame and fortune.

[Watchdogg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed 'seeing' history unfold as witnessed by a young reporter/correspondent. What I did not care for was the author's pompous attitude and belittling of historical figures that he did not approve of. I recognize that this is a memoir, but I expected a little more objectivity.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Shirer, the author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, was one of my heroes as a young person. We have had his three volume set of memoirs on our shelves since the late 70s. Hey, hey, I finally got around to reading volume one, about his childhood in Cedar Rapids, his college year at a small Iowa college and his first four years as a foreign correspondent in Paris, London, and Vienna.
I actually met Shirer at a cocktail party in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. We had as good a conversation as a shy 22 year old woman can have with a much older man until he told me his name, and I practically fell on the ground. So I was amused to read that the same thing had happened to Shirer at almost the same age, when he was introduced to Freda Kirchwey, the editor of The Nation, at a party and was, as he put it, tongue-tied.
This is a good book to read if you want to know what things were like in the early 20th century in the Midwest. When I was a journalist, I always asked people what was it like, it being whatever I was asking them about. Shirer tells the reader, quite comprehensively, what it was like.

[Thomas Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good autobiography covering the first third of the 2oth Century through Shirer's Zelig-like existence beginning with his Chautauqua tent raising to hearing William Jennings Bryant speak to shaking President Coolidge's hand. Later as a foreign correspondent in Paris, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa rube that went to town (Chicago) gets wrapped up in the excitement of solo Atlantic crossing, including going to Lindbergh's landing, Gene Tunney's wrapped up pugilist career (Shirer did much sport writing and it opened doors) and works alongside James Thurber and F. Scott Fitzgerald and even John Gunther (always a tragic figure to me since Death Be Not Proud) while seeing through the self-worship of Gertrude Stein. A fascinating, circumspect life.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shirer has a wonderful gift of tracing his associations with some of history's most important figures with a light touch. No grand standing. Just simple observations. I laughed out loud reading his description of babysitting a very drunk F. Scott Fitzgerald and then delivering him home to an irate Zelda, who stormed about the flat in her pajamas and eventually offered everyone drinks.

[Gillian Croucher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the second volume in this series, The Nightmare Years, first and this didn’t live up to that (or the other Shirer books I’ve read) for me. I like the context and personal feel that Shirer can give to history, but this often read like three-page entries in a who’s who of all the people Shirer met.

[Peter Kiss · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very disappointing. I came away from the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich with respect for Shirer and his writing. Now, I feel like he's undermined his own credibility as he's admitted to fabricating story after story as a journalist. Not only that, but he claimed to be protestant in Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, but he spends around half this book proclaiming to the world how much he despises Christianity and its morals as a thinly veiled way of justifying his own immoral life style, which he dresses up in his mind as the life of an "intellectual." Shirer is desperate to portray himself as very learned, and it gets old. Parts were interesting, but this was an unfortunate light being shown on someone I thought was more respectable.

[Jimbethhoward · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed comparing this book to Shirer's contemporary and fellow journalist, Muggeridge's Chronicles of Wasted Time. So similar in their early outlook and path, Muggeridge eventually left his utopian hopes behind along with his liberal views.

[Boris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shirer was of a breed that doesn't exist anymore, a journalist rather than a propagandist. I've read three of his books, "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", "Berlin Diary" and "The Nightmare Years". 'Diary and 'Nightmare Years were two of the most compelling accounts I've ever read.

In this volume of his autobiography one not only learns about his early life and family but also his political views. He was a progressive as so many of the intellectual class were then and among other things despised Coolidge. Coolidge was probably the best president of the 20th century and there was a certain irony that escaped Shirer; how prosperous the Coolidge/Harding years were in America versus the glum and depressing situation in England and to a lesser degree France. Shirer was wrong on many things but his accounts as a journalist in Europe were compelling as in his other books.

The progressives were largely bored and prosperous middle class and higher intellectuals,many from the Midwest, who turned against America and American capitalism. This was the same leisure class that the economist Schumpeter said always undermine successful and prosperous societies. As a declared progressive, he made no note of the huge and lingering failures of the progressive Woodrow Wilson or Teddy Roosevelt. As a typical progressive he criticized big business while not noting that the very same vilified big business created the most prosperous society in human history.

He knew and met and interviewed many of the luminaries of the age and among other things was a witness to Charles Lindbergh's arrival in Paris in 1927, another compelling first-person account. He provided more historical background on Isadora Duncan, Helen Wills, Gertrude Ederle and writers such as the very eccentric (and in my opinion untalented) Gertrude Stein.

Another thing Shirer got wrong was the Red Scare both in Europe and in America. He suggested it was an irrational panic but the mass murder in the Soviet Union commenced with the communist takeover and there were many refugees of the Bolshevik horror, especially in Paris. If any mass "hysteria" was justified in the 20th century, it was the Red Scare.

Despite my profound disagreements with him on his political philosophy he didn't permit it to taint his reporting. This is recommended reading and I intend to reread the European reporting sections of the book.

[Charles Aulds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book ... it has been a great way to learn history of the early 20th century. His first-hand accounts of events, people and places. I've been reading the book every day, but it's taking awhile, I've taken dozens of detours to read Wikipedia pages about those events, people and places.

I'm surprised this book has never come to my attention ... there's not even a Wikipedia page for it ... just a mention of the "three volumes of his autobiography, 20th Century Journey, which was published by Little, Brown in 1976, 1984, and 1990"

Shirer witnessed (as a journalist reporting from Europe) the rise of fascism in Europe in the early 1920's. His perspective on that is very interesting.

Shirer also gave a really good account of the Crash of 1929 ... and the causes for it seem very relevant to today's economy:

"Finance capitalism had largely replaced industrial capitalism in our country ... the way to get rich was to "get into the profit end of wealth production," not of the production of goods. The rise of the holding companies [are these not the same as today's big private equity holding companies that are buying up all the real estate today??] during the decade was a good example. Company after company was pyramided into holding companies at the top, which controlled the empire though they were made of paper. Men and women who had neither the time nor the facilities to "study the market." Instead of putting their money in specific stocks on the Exchange, they could do better, they were told, by placing it in the stock of an investment trust [are these not the same as today's mutual funds??], whose managers, with a profound knowledge of the market and devoting their full time to it, would wisely invest it in various stocks on the board."

It's the same house of cards ... wealth being funneled into an ever-smaller number of pockets and everyone's "savings" are invested in speculative securities (or an overinflated housing market).

Hell, it's modern-stage capitalism ... the astonishing thing is that it has collapsed again.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have previously read Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-1941 and The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of the Nazi Germany, I knew I was in for another literary ride. This time with The Start, 1904-1930: Twentieth Century Journey Vol. I (William Shirer's Twentieth Century Journey) by William L. Shirer, the focus was mostly on the author's early life story and background growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, his education, and getting started in journalism. He felt privileged when an opportunity came on for him to remain in Paris after being offered a position as a foreign correspondent under Edward R. Murrow and his CBS radio team following important stories around the European continent. He quickly became known for his ability to dig for the crucial stories of historical significance reporting from Paris, Vienna, Berlin, London, and Rome and eventually did his broadcasts directly from Berlin. While he immersed himself in European culture he also developed friendships with other notables such as Ernest Hemingway and Sinclair Lewis. His interviews and conversations with popular figures and world leaders including Adolph Hitler himself. This book allows the author to open up about how he became one of the most influential members of the press as well as a respected author.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first became aware of William L. Shirer when I was in high school and read "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." It sparked a lifelong interest in World War II and specifically the Holocaust. When I entered college I cited Shirer in a paper I wrote on Nazi Germany, which brought me a strong rebuke from my Teutonic professor, who wrote that Shirer should never be used as a source because he was not a scholar. I didn't let that dampen my respect for Shirer and his work.

I had no idea that Shirer had written his memoirs until I had joined Audible and saw they were available. When I canceled my Audible subscription, I lost access to all three of the volumes that make up Shirer's memoirs, but I noticed the library has all three on audio. I decided to listen to the first volume on a lark, and I'm glad I did. Not only does Shirer provide a detailed account of his early life here, but he takes a deep dive into the things happening during his life. While my German history professor likely still holds the negative view of Shirer, this audiobook only enhances my respect for him. It will likely be some time before I start the next volume since I have other things I want to read, but I'm glad I listened to this. It was amazing.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many, I was first introduced to William Shirer through his well-known book, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, which is a must-read for those interested in World War 2 history. The Start is the first of three books of his memoirs.

The introduction foreshadows his visiting Paris, France, after finishing college and working in Chicago for a newspaper. He stays long enough, and just as he's about to come back to the States, he's offered a job there as a correspondent for a Chicago paper; he, of course, takes it.

We then go back to him and his family's beginnings in Iowa, college, and the beginning of his career as a correspondent for a Chicago newspaper. The beginnings of the book are not very exciting. It is when we catch up to him being a correspondent in Paris. that things pick up.

In Paris in the 1920's was like a mecca writers . Shirer gets meet other American writer heavy-weights like Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He's thrilled to meet the legendary James Joyce though it seems the Joyce wasn't as thrilled.

Shirer eventually got promoted and traveled more around Europe, going to London, Vienna, and elsewhere. He reports on the beginnings of Hitler and Mussolini. Shirer was also able to see the iconic and legendary flyer, land in France after his famous crossing of the Atlantic.

While the beginning of this may seem slow, as it is a memoir, it is in the later half that it seems Shirer was in the midst of European events that would be the seeds that grow into the Second World War that are the most fascinating. A good book for those looking for a glimpse of European history between the two World Wars in the late 1920's.

[Stephen Masri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shirer's Inside the Third Reich was for a time in America a definitive history, on our grandparents' bookshelves, later come to be recognized for its limitations and faults. I started reading it when i was 12, like most boys interested in WWII, and it took me a couple of tries to get through it, but for me it was then THE history.

The memoirs of its author who was a foreign correspondent from the 1920s on should, i thought, have been interesting. Somewhat, yes, but the author's prejudices and cant are on unvarnished display. He fails to appreciate the complexities and background of British and French leaders' thinking, for example, and criticizes without full understanding. He derides conservative movements in nations and demonstrates repeated hostility toward European aristocracy and the American upper middle class. His personal resentments and insecurities are all too evident. At the same time, he gives wide latitude to Stalinism and leftist militants because they worked against those portions of society that he hated. It is a pity because his work gave him a rare opportunity to present a more balanced view and derive useful historical insights.

Not a useful book.

[Clair Keizer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As one reads the first volume of William L. Shirer's brilliant memoir, Twentieth Century Journey: The Start, it is hard to remember that it is indeed a memoir. Shirer's telling of his life is more like a survey of American and world history of the early twentieth century. Then, he throws in a personal experience and one stops and thinks, what just happened. The beauty in this is that Shirer was present for so much of what took place in those years, witnessing the dramatic changes occurring in both the US and Europe, post World War I. As this is his memoir, Shirer is not shy in expressing his politics and his attitude toward the lack of concern for the poor, the laborers and the immigrant on both continents. This attitude didn't hinder his efforts to present the facts in his writing for the Chicago Tribune and later for CBS radio. Shirer played a remarkable role in these times reflected in the first volume of his memoirs. Be confident this this will not change in later years and the following volumes of his story.

[Caribbean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found William Shirer when browsing through Hoopla and stumbled upon The End of Berlin Diary, and then finished Berlin Diary too.
If you like The Glory and the Dream, you will definitely like this as well.
It is a history book written from the perspective of a midwesterner who grew up in Europe, and I saw the world through his eyes and history felt so real, because it is real. The 20's in Europe in particular Paris was the time of masters, and the author was thrown in the mist of James Thurber, Earnest Hemingway, Isodora Dunkan, Sinclair Lewis, Gertrude Stein, Grant Wood, Charles Lindberg, and so many more. Because of how real it all was, it didn't feel like name-dropping but more like running into a friend unexpected in his book. The stories about how James Thurber and the rest of night staff made up full reports based on a few words in telegraphs cracked me up.
Now onto "The Nightmare Years".
Highly highly recommend.

[Len Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Shirer was, for many Americans, their eyes and ears in the Third Reich from 1933-45. Baby boomers, like myself, learned much about Adolf Hitler and World War II through Shirer’s books.
This book is Shirer’s vehicle for telling us about himself and world events leading up to the beginning of the Reich. We read of his witnessing Lindbergh’s landing in Paris after his flight across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris in 1927; the Stock Market crash two years later, among other notable moments. We also learn of some of the memorable personalities, especially writers, who graced Shirer’s life.
Perhaps a bit lengthy but certainly worth reading, particularly if you are planning to read later books by Shirer or have already read them.

Four stars waxing

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected, unfortunately I found the most interesting parts to be the gossip about celebrities. It does give some insight in what it was like to live in the early 1900’s. For me to give a higher rating, I would have needed a more in depth analysis of the current events and less personal anecdotes.

[Mary Vogelsong · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author covers a lot of history as a journalist and drops a lot of names of prominent writers he supposedly knew personally. Unfortunately, his POV is one of an avowed atheist. He predicts the world will end in annihilation by nuclear warfare. This did not happen in his lifetime; he died in 1993.

[George Hodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid 5-star read. The early parts about Iowa and Chicago dragged a bit, but that likely had more to do with my interests being Europe. However, once Shirer moved to Paris, the book really took off. It really made me feel that I was there, rubbing shoulders with the literary, artistic, and public greats! A definite page turner.

[Peter Kalnin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent Review of Decades of History

William Shirer gives the reader an excellent understanding of the events and society of the early 1900s. He is a magnificent raconteur who reflects the values and thoughts of people of that time.

Grover Gardner is the perfect narrator for this book.

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A glimpse into a different era, Iowa before the Second World War and the start of Shirer’s career as a journalist. Interesting reading.

[Thomas Nettleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous memoir!!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting narrative of the first thirty years of the 20th century. How life was so different, how Shirer just struck on hos own to Europe, and al he experienced.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

Never have I read an autobiography that was so indepth. A history lesson and a fascinating life loved all in one... and this only the 1st volume!

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful firsthand memoir to the early years of the modern world.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much new here.

[Leo W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating near past.

[James D. Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writing. Much history. So good.

I wish this would have been the book we used in JH instead of “Only Yesterday”!
A wonderful read from start to finish!

[Colkurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Shirer is an extraordinary writer and historian.