O Reino E O Poder - Uma Historia Do New York Times

by Gay Talese

The New York Times, o jornal mais influente do mundo, foi fundado por um filho de imigrantes que, antes de iniciar uma dinastia de editores, trabalhou como servente, jornaleiro, office-boy e tipógrafo. Porta-voz do establishment, durante boa parte do século XX exerceu efetivamente o 'quarto poder' nos Estados Unidos. Como toda grande instituição, abrigou lutas e batalhas pelo poder, numa guerra traduzida em conflitos de personalidade, manipulações, choques de interesses, alianças táticas, vitórias exultantes e decepções profundas. A história desse grande jornal é apresentada aqui pelo editor e ensaísta Gay Talese, um dos expoentes do 'novo jornalismo'- gênero que combina as técnicas descritivas do romance com o realismo da não-ficção. Talese expõe a filosofia e os princípios editoriais do Times, descreve as mudanças que o jornal sofreu ao longo de mais de um século de existência, identifica suas contradições, analisa a atuação de suas figuras-chave e destaca suas relações (às vezes incestuosas) com o poder político. Também reconstitui reportagens de impacto, como os primeiros relatos do bombardeio americano sobre a população civil do Vietnã do Norte, decisivos para a mudança da opinião pública sobre a guerra.

Fonte: Livraria Cultura

Genres: Nonfiction, Journalism, History, New York, Writing, Business, Biography

560 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Gay Talese is an American author. He wrote for The New York Times in the early 1960s and helped to define literary journalism or "new nonfiction reportage", also known as New Journalism. His most famous articles are about Joe DiMaggio, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.

Reviews

[Manik Sukoco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps this book should be a required reading for all journalism students. Gay Talese has shown in brilliant details the daily struggle to lead and manage the most powerful newspaper in the world, The New York Times. Because the massive amount of information, I read only few pages at a time, taking a year to finish. The book is totally worth it.

[Smitha Gundavajhala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once upon a time, in the land of New York, there was a powerful and prestigious newspaper called the Times. It printed "all the news that's fit to print." Everyone thought it was the greatest and most perfect newspaper in the history of the world.

It wasn't.

Gay Talese's book, The Kingdom and the Power, provides an inside look at one of the world's most prestigious newspapers. The level of detail in this book is impeccable, garnered from a slew of interviews, documents, and letters. The Kingdom and the Power tells the tales of Timesmen that ran the institution, those that worked at it, and those that will always be remembered by it. It tells of the many managing editors, of the woes of copyboys, of the mishaps of reporters, of the printers' strike, and of the ruling family of publishers, descended from the very first- Adolph Ochs.

The book is little more than a string of connected anecdotes- amusing to read, of course, but there is no powerful story until the last few chapters of the book. Still, it is just story, not central plot. It hasn't the traditional beginning, middle, or end. The paragraphs, sometimes over a page, are tedious because the sentences that comprise them are long themselves. This book's course is best likened to a rambling path- it is long and scenic, and certainly worth the time, but it goes off on tangents. It is a lengthy but well-written discourse that does not take you from point A to point B, but all over the place; when you are finished, you have learned a lot of things, but you still don't know what the point is. It is a wonderful read, so go ahead and enjoy the scenery, but don't get lost. Work your way steadily down the path, and you will be rewarded.

This book, published in 1969, should be archaic. The ideas, one might expect, are dated, the concepts unsuited to the current day and age. Sure, in fifty years setting type might seem to readers of the time what hieroglyphics seems to us today; even today the notion that one computer being introduced into a large corporation is a big advancement seems ridiculous. But the writing is such that this book is and always will be timeless.

Talese's style itself is similar to the course of his book. It creates wonderful sights and sounds for the reader just from the musical quality of the writing. The language is accessible to most readers; a dictionary may be of use if the reader wishes to indulge in the wordplay to its full extent. Of wordplay there is a great deal. When I read the beginning of this book, I was drawn instantly by the introduction:

"Most journalists are restless voyeurs who see the warts on the world, the imperfections in people and places. The sane scene that is much of life, the great portion of the planet unmarked by madness, does not lure them like riots and raids, crumbling countries and sinking ships, bankers banished to Rio and burning Buddhist nuns- gloom is their game, the spectacle their passion, normality their nemesis."

After reading the book, it can be said that this passage alone is the premise of the book. But it is better said that most of the focus is not on the world's imperfections, but those of the Times.

This book teaches not only about the ins and outs of print journalism, but also about the political hierarchy of the workplace. The tension, the factions, and the emotions of the Timesmen create an incredibly real psychological picture of humans, and of human nature. Because, when it comes down to it, The Times is truly a human institution.

Read The Kingdom and the Power. Learn the lessons it has to offer. This may be one of the best books you ever read- and you will be glad you did.

[Dawn Lennon · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is so rare that I abandon a book. I tend to be a stubborn slogger when it comes to wading through a book I've started, so I never do this lightly. I saw a TV segment on Gay Talese and was impressed by what was said about his writing and his dedication to it. Since I was interested in the historic aspects of the New York Times, I selected this book as my first Talese read. It was a let-down for me.

Although the subject matter had all the makings of a corporate suspense, tell-all arising from real life and real people, the book was painfully dry. So many pages of detailed information about every figure just got wearying. The writing was so dense that even the impressive use of language couldn't lighten it up for me.

Sadly, this book wasn't the right fit for me, although I know that it was highly regarded. It was time to move on.

[Riley Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect

[Annabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know much about the newspaper business, but I was so voraciously invested in this book, all 632 dispassionately-written pages of it, a freewheeling, captivating chronology of all the paper's highs and lows "that's fit to print" as Mr Talese sees fit. The formidable publisher/owner Adolph Ochs, characterized by Timesman Garet Garrett with "a tolerance for human nature in the opponent," is worth the lionizing; of meritorious significance too, are his handpicked Timesmen, and the equally capable men they handpicked to succeed, even emulate them. Turner Catledge, James Reston, Arthur Hays Sulzberger, Orvil Dryfoos, Arthur Krock, Clifton Daniel (Harry S Truman's son-in-law, whose earlier sketch by Talese led to the conception of this book), Abe Rosenthal, Harrison Salisbury, to name a few distinct stalwarts--men of perceptive discernment, of gravitas, exceptionally passionate to their calling, and the unofficial yardsticks by which most young Timesmen* would aspire to measure up to.

If the Roman Empire were run by the owners and editors of The New York Times, the kingdom and the power may have remained with Rome. Without a doubt, they helped shape the future of the United States and the world as we know it today. There are newsmen, and there are Timesmen. In my book, Gaetano "Gay" Talese is a Super-Timesman.

* The Kingdom and the Power was published in 1966, which makes this a very dated book, requiring a calibration of sensitivities. So yes, there were hardly any Timeswomen. The Times first saw print in September 1851, predating the American Civil War by ten years. Mr Talese's reportage stops with the death of Arthur Hays Sulzberger, in December 1968. And at that time, The Times they were still a-changin'...

[Edward Champion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gripping work of journalism, written at a time in which long books about the media (now quite commonplace) were not only not done, but frowned upon. Every journalist today owes a debt of gratitude for what Gay Talese did here. Talese is at the top of his game, expertly capturing the personalities at the Times. One reads this book almost like opening a living and breathing time capsule. There's John Corry, the man who was nearly broken by a big scoop about a book on the Kennedys. There's the volatile and fearsome Lester Markel, whose fastidiousness about the Sunday edition was so anal and whose hubris was so unchecked that he flew like Daedalus for a while before seeing his splashy invites disappear and his career being kicked upstairs. There's Clinton Daniel, the indefatigable managing editor elegantly married to Truman's daughter and guiding the massive operations with a mostly level head. Talese charts the inner workings of the paper of record so well that you literally feel like a fly on a wall here. The times, so to speak, may have changed, but the personality types remain the same. Even Maggie Haberman's father makes a cameo appearance. I did not know about the Gray Lady's anti-Semitism, ostensibly done with a "business as usual" approach (the Times feared being perceived as a non-Jewish newspaper), but often disguising the names of Jewish writers with initials. This is honestly one of the best books I've ever read about media operations and is greatly recommended for those who want an idea of what it takes to survive (and thrive, often by luck) in the inner fold.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely epic piece of reportage, one I wish I had read 30 years ago. Or before I was born. As with "The Boys on the Bus," this was a struggle to get through at times. So many people, so many events that were big in the moment and lost to history. None of this is the fault of Gay Talese.

It's a period piece in that I cannot imagine a book like this being written about newspapers today. Some of the numbers -- in the 1960s, The Sunday Times sold 1.6M copies and sometimes ran to seven pounds -- are like reading about a different world.

Anyway, if you're a journalism nerd -- raises hand -- read this.

[César Iván · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creo que aquí está la gran obra de Talese: narrar la historia del New York Times, y la familia que lo maneja, desde la compra por parte de Adolph Ochs hasta el momento en que se escribió el libro, a finales de los años sesenta.
Lo sorprendente, además de la historia, es la forma de narrarla: va y viene en el tiempo sin el más mínimo miramiento, y sin ningún enredo. Usa una técnica narrativa muy parecida a Cien años de soledad (salvando cualquier distancia), pero fueron escritos prácticamente al mismo tiempo. El poder narrar una historia tan compleja de manera tan desordenada, pero no caótica, es el principal mérito del libro.
El otro gran mérito es la capacidad de detenerse en "pequeñas historias". Los grandes momentos del libro no se centran en decisiones corporativas y demás, sino en las historias de reporteros haciendo su trabajo. Desmenuza la forma de trabajo de una redacción, pero también logró un contexto general sobre el trabajo individual en el periódico: reporteros queriendo renunciar por ser, por ejemplo, demasiado exigidos, algunos siendo regañados por esa difusa diferencia entre el diarismo y el periodismo más lento.
Hay un punto mal, cómo no: la visión del autor durante esta crónica se ve muy poco, pero cuando se deja ver es para ponerse del lado del empresario, en una visión súper liberal, que para mí, es incompatible con el periodismo. Por ejemplo, cuando hablan de la huelga de redactores en nueva York poco explora las causas, a los líderes sindicales o la necesidad de reivindicar una profesión como la del periodista, sino que prefiere enfocarse en lo terrible de la crisis económica para el New York Times. En más de un momento se puede sentir cierto servilismo a la corporación y no tanta empatía con el gremio al que pertenece.

[Bill Tress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, if only I had these writing skills. The words flow and the picture he paints comes alive in full color. This is a story of a huge Institution called the New York Times. Our author, a gifted writer, spent 10 years there as a reporter, so this story resonates with his many experiences at the Times.
The Times was purchased by Adolph Och in 1896 and followed his vision of what makes a great newspaper until his death in 1935. The Times remained his paper in many ways after his death. Talese describes the philosophies and styles of each manager that succeeded him, yet Och’s influenced their decisions even from the grave.
A tick of Talese that requires a little getting used to involves the discussions of these great newspaper people and how they managed the Times. He gives us an early biographical sketch and then he moves on with his narrative, until the person appears again in the narrative, then he returns to the biography and adds more layers. He describes each department that encompass this newspaper and all the characters who populate it. He describes each department’s function, philosophy, and its leadership since the 1896 purchase.
An interesting profile emerges in the narrative, namely that most staff managers have similar characteristics, they attended Ivy league schools and usually have degrees from the Columbia University, school of journalism. So, between family members prolificating in the organization and staff members with similar backgrounds and education, you end up with a strong sense of conformity. When an idea appears that does not match the cultural conformity of the institution many layers of management are involved in reconciling the issue to follow the Company philosophical principles. Yet, even in this bureaucracy that conforms there are real characters who function in an interesting and sometimes neurotic way, and this creates the magic that is unique to the Times.
The news staffs were largely populated by products of the lower middle class – by liberal Jews and less liberal Irish Catholics from the North, by progressive Protestants from the South and Midwest; and not unexpectedly, by relatively few Italo-Americans. Negroes were only tokenly represented in the newsroom for many obvious reasons. The chemical formula described by Talese that made the Times a great paper included a multi- ethnic culture of blue blood and an up-and-coming reporter who worked hard for a by-line to satisfy their craving for success. But like all big bureaucracies this chemistry created conflicts and egos to manage.
It took a while for this reader to appreciate the Talese sense of humor but once identified the chuckles came often. For instance, Talese describes the pecking order for sitting in the newsroom and that a new employee had to learn this lesson quickly. This room was so vast that managers used binoculars to search out staff, even in the knucks and crannies and behind the numerous poles.
The book begins with an idea that had not occurred to me, but I am sure is common knowledge in the industry. The question is: does the News industry report the news or does it create the news?
This interesting question arose at the Times because of a decision made by a managing editor regarding information the Times had about an invasion of Cuba in 1961. A tense back and forth ensued between editors about whether the invasion story called the Bay of Pigs should be featured on the front page. After much discussion, the managing editor ordered the story to be toned down, moved to less prominent place on the page and its headline minimized and any reference to the imminence of the invasion eliminated. This manager felt that it was in the national interest to withhold these vital facts from the American people and because of the CIA involvement. While everyone complied with his wishes many subordinate editors strongly disagreed. After the invasion had failed, even President Kennedy conceded that perhaps The Times had been overly protective of American interests. The President stated that if the Times had printed all it knew about the Cuban venture beforehand the disastrous invasion, Kennedy thought that the invasion might have been canceled and the bloody fiasco avoided. This is exactly why the question was asked above. The question points to the moral obligation and responsibility of a newspaper to print truth and yet not be involved in the political intrigue or propaganda that can influence the telling of truth. This point was clear in 1961 but not so today. For instance, recently, the Fox News network, a right leaning organization acknowledged that it lied and printed information that it knew was false information about the election of Joe Biden and the defeat of Donald Trump. Its explanation was that the false information generated sales and profits for the news organization. So, by creating controversy they made the news rather than reporting it. This amazing information is one of the themes of this book and the reason for the title, “The Kingdom and the Power.”
Talese provided another interesting observation in his narrative. He stated that “the interests of the New York Times and the Federal government are interrelated. It is neither coincidental nor surprising that the Times would reflect, in miniature, the collective style of the government because the two institutions at the top are shaped by the same forces historically, socially, and economically – what happens to the government inevitably happens to The Times. Should the United States continue as a preeminent power, The Times words will continue to carry weight in the World. Should the United States decline as an international influence, so will The Times”. He points out that the top people in government and the executives of the Times usually participate in the same social circles, and they play together on the same Country Club golf courses. They don’t hesitate to pick up the phones to call each other to discuss the issues of the day and this includes Presidential calls. The view is that both parties have common cause in the preservation of Democracy and the maintenance of the status quo. This very interesting yet strong statement gave me pause, how does this close relationship preclude printing the news outside of the realm of politics?
After the in-depth description of the structure of the Times and its management and worldwide staffing, Talese presented a few interesting human interest stories that illustrate the everyday drama of life as a reporter; Daniel Burros is such a story.
McCandlish Phillips, a religious man and a staff reporter was handpicked to investigate and write this sensitive story. An allegation received anonymously by the Times alleged that Daniel Burros, a member of the Kul Klux clan and an ult-right agitator was a Jew who had experienced the ritual of Bar Mitzvah. Talese uses the Times article to describe how the reporter dogged Burros and then wrote the article that exposed Burros’ background in a front-page story that resulted in Burros taking his own life. This was a compelling and tragic story about a newspaper making the news rather than just reporting the news.
Talese tells another story of a young and gifted correspondent who while on assignment to write a rather forthright article regarding City College student awards added a joke and called it the Brett Award. This story focused this reader on two points regarding the Times. The first, Abe Rosenthal a managing editor noticed the article on page 30, and it was printed in agate type deep within a long list that announced the names of City College students who had received awards; called The Brett Award. It was a joke inserted by a bright and up and coming staffer. The deskmen who had edited and checked the story the night before had overlooked the item, but it was found by the hawkeyed managing editor, and he did not see the humor. Rosenthal felt that the staffers indiscretion violated the Times philosophy of reporting. He called the young man in and fired him yet gave him the opportunity to resign. The second point was how aggressively the managers of the Time protect and uphold the integrity of the paper.
The next story illustrated by Talese was the Kennedy- Manchester lawsuit. The interest in this story is obviously the name recognition of both the Kennedy name and that of William Manchester, a nationally regarded writer. Talese allows the reader to follow the reporter through his investigation and interviews with the principals. Beyond the thrill of rubbing the shoulders with the rich and famous, the reporter and the Times organization experience a great deal of stress by breaking events and the need to be aware of the sensitivities and power of the individuals involved. The reporter who received a great deal of recognition for this work resigned after the events out of exhaustion and disappointment in the editing of his work. This was a story that provided an insider’s view that is so dreaded by the high and mighty.
Pressure at the Times comes in many forms. Deadlines, peer pressure and the desire to advance. Endemic to the Times is the “EF Hutton” syndrome, in other words, when the Times says it, people listen. The Times influences Books, theatre, film, and food. A Times article, review or editorial can have a significant effect, and this adds to the pressure on reporting.
Talese wrote of a great institution. He did it with insight and skill and this book has changed the way I read a newspaper. His focus was the years 1950 through 1960, he explained its leadership and how it covered great events of the period, but one must wonder what is the Times like in 2023? Does it still hold to the principles of it founding father Adolph Och?

[David Jacobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a deep, extensive recounting of the world of the New York Times as it existed in the late 1960s: after the rise of television but before the seminal publication of the Pentagon Papers and New York Times v. United States a few years later. It gives a sense of how the vast news gathering operation functioned—the reporters, editors, copyreaders, etc.—and profiles all the major figures. It is a love letter to the greatest print newspaper, which is still going strong 50 years later, but may not now have long to last.

Unfortunately, the long book falls into a repeating pattern. Every time a new personage is introduced—and there are many—we fall back into a page or two of biography. Reading this book, you will learn the birthplace, parentage, and childhood interests of all the principle "tweedy" Timesmen of the 1950s and 60s. Also, I had hoped the book would coalesce around a single galvanizing event, but, aside from some personnel disputes profiled in the last chapter, it does not.

This is an early work by Gay Talese, who would go on to fame as one of the progenitors of the "New Journalism". While this book is extensively researched, it lacks the first-person perspective that gives such vibrancy to his later works, like "Thy Neighbor's Wife". Talese actually was a reporter on the Times for more than a decade, and it would have been interesting to have read a book that weaved his own experience in with this more historically oriented story.

[Mollie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got a few things out of this book, and Talese is obviously a great writer, but this is best viewed as a time capsule rather than a nonfiction book. Racist and sexist moments come up throughout the book, and Talese's narrative, which is driven by NYT office politics, just doesn't stand up. That narrative line ends with a splat - a big promotion and then a big funeral, with no real conclusion or rounded theme for the book as a whole.

I'd hoped to learn more about the NYT's editorial decisions, more reporting stories and more about the reporters themselves. All that said, there are some worthwhile parts, especially what the NYT was like during McCarthyism and the 62-63 newspaper strike. Use the index, read those parts, and skip the rest.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though dated from an events perspective, an insightful and deliciously written history of the New York Times ("Pravda") up to the late 1960s. Much of the first hand and highly personalized portraits that one would expect from Talese.

Further useful to those interested in the path of the NYT and media like it in the US, as the NYT goes through another inflection point in the media landscape over the past 5 years (and probably for the next five), complete with leadership jockeying as we see now.

[Georgia Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though Gay Talese tends to piss me off as a person, as a writer it's hard not to admit he's bloody brilliant. And you have to be brilliant to make a 500-page book about the history of a newspaper interesting. This is a great read, and it's not just for aspiring journalists like myself, but for anyone interested in knowing a bit more about the behind-the scenes of power.

[Ci · Rating 3 out of 5]

开头真是憋着劲啃，豆瓣有个妹子说读到“散了黄儿”特别贴切。读到后来，被无数小细节逗乐和打动，被奥克斯和德赖富斯所震撼和感动。很棒的书，只是要抗过最前面那一段混乱期。

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was OK. Gave up on it about 2/3 the way through (early 1960s). Had enough.

TPL e-book.

[Matthew K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talese is an incredible writer, and I’ve long been a fan of his narrative non-fiction style. I’ve read most of his books, but my one critique is that all of them are just too. damn. long. The Kingdom and the Power is no exception.

He’s got an incredible knack for painting a scene, focusing on each and every detail such that you can easily visualize his characters, their state of mind, the mood of the room, and the zeitgeist of the times. The problem is, he describes every scene with such detail, even those that contribute little to the narrative of the greater work.

The Kingdom and the Power is a sweeping portrait of the New York Times up until the late 1960s, and it’s interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at the paper. But there is virtually no reference to the decade Talese spent as a reporter with the the Times, and reading a pages-long biography outlining the lineage, schooling, personal life, and professional ambitions of each reporter, editor, and publisher eventually becomes tedious to read. This makes it easy to lose track of the characters and why they matter.

Loosely speaking, the narrative begins with publisher Adolph Ochs’ purchase of the paper in 1896, and ends with the death of his son-in-law and successor, Arthur Hays Sulzberger, in 1968. But the chapters in between jump around between decades and make it hard to follow…sure, if you’re paying extremely close attention, the ‘narrative’ is easy enough to grasp. But it’s not easy for the reader. Chapters are not organized by time period, character, or vignette, and this book would be a lotttt more fun to read if they were.

In the end, I thought of The Kingdom and the Power as similar to a full-length copy of the Sunday Times. Is it assiduously researched, as close to a factual accounting of events as possible? Yes. Is it a spectacular work of journalistic accomplishment? Yes. Is it worth reading a few pages of, or even most of it? Yes. Would it be extremely tiring to do so? Also, yes.

It’s worth a read (as with all Talese books), but…there’s not a huge value-add to reading the whole thing cover-to-cover, just like the real New York Times.

[Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talese is one of my all-time favorite writers however this book is by far my least favorite of his. I had high hopes for this book, especially as I loved his essay on the Times morgue editor and thought this book would be similar in tone and style. While the information in this book was very interesting- it just seemed to drag on and on. I frequently found myself confusing people or forgetting backstories. I feel like the organization of the book was maybe a bit off, there was often much jumping around within chapters from person to person. There would be a big shake-up event at the Times followed by several pages of backstory on a particular editor's childhood and early career and then jump to another person's backstory and then go back to other big development at the Times. Frequently many of the people profiled would not even figure a major role later in the book making it even more difficult to keep track of who was who and why they were important.

Overall it was not a bad book- I definitely learned a lot and reflected much on just how different the news is today from the time this book was written and especially to the time of Adolph Ochs. The people and the stories were also very interesting- I just wish there was some better organization within the chapters/ more of a driving story arc. I would recommend this book but probably only to someone who is really into journalism or has a had a previous foray into the work of Gay Talese.

[Ronald Niezen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Besides offering an insider view of the New York Times, from its origins to the late 1960s, The Kingdom and the Power is told through great, occasionally brilliant writing. Take, for example, his description of chief editorial writer, Charles Merz: "A tall, hefty, well-tailored man who wore a blue hombre, walked with the stride of a Prussian officer and, partly because of a ruddy complexion that suggested high blood pressure, and partly because his small steel-rimmed glasses were so tightly drawn around his broad face and nose that his ears pressed forward, he seemed like a man about to explode." Damn. Now if only the book didn't end just before the Pentagon Papers and Watergate.

[Patrick Macke · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways I admire the New York Times, on most Sundays I couldn't live without it, but I would have never read a book about the paper unless that book was written by Gay Talese ... He does a masterful job here, part history, part obscure storytelling, and in part a handful of mini biographies ... It is a deep dive into the men who founded the Times and the way things work(ed) within its legendary corridors ... The book reminds us of the potential value of journalism and, fifty years later, the book is a beacon of what once was and maybe what could still be

[Aldo Lingua · Rating 5 out of 5]

No sé cómo hizo para escribir este libro. Los apuntes de Talese para escribir la historia del New York Times tienen que ser, por lo bajo, el doble de largos que el producto final. Son miles de entrevistas, anécdotas, fechas, historias; todo para relatar como una veintena de hombres crearon el diario más importante del mundo.
No voy a decir que todo estudiante de periodismo debería leerlo, pero si alguna vez soy profesor, voy a obligar a leer al menos un capítulo.

[OGEE Substack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed look at a few crucial decades at the New York Times. Lots of great tidbits; many interesting characters. GT's frequent commentary on women's (as well as men's) looks makes it seem even more dated than it should. It's now history.

Which means there is the NYT from the late '60s to today to be covered. This book could do with a more thoroughly modern companion piece. Any trendy journalists interested in taking it on? Perhaps Jia Tolentino? Ronan Farrow?

[Kevin Montano · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and in-depth history of The Times that really does capture the spirit of the Gray Lady. Talese is a wonderful writer although his love for detail can take a chapter that could have been five pages and make it 20 instead. Nonetheless, this book captures what was truly the golden age of print newspapers.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chatty, gossipy, bitchy, boring. Tangents once sniffed are followed doggedly. I don't give a damn about the courtship and marriage of this year's managing editor, nor for his secretary's fetching behind (no, seriously), nor for any other such tedious minutiae. Talese's style makes David Halberstam's prose seem laser-focused. What an overrated book.

[Pan Ellington · Rating 3 out of 5]

an interesting read, though dated as i read an older edition. important for students of journalism, historically, beyond that the narrative gets mired in interoffice politics, etc. would have appreciated a broader stroke with this one...

[Wesley Lowery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neither my favorite Talese nor my favorite history of the Times - but Talese suffers from the curse of being a stylistic innovator: so much of what came after him was derivative of and improved upon his style, making some of his work both foundational and no longer that enjoyable

[Junjie Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introductory journalism in the U.S.

[Gerald Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating history of the New York Times, up through the 1960's.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reporting and inside baseball is outstanding. The casual racism not so much.

[Andrew Doerfler]

Absolutely staggering number of guys to keep track of.

[Rolin · Rating 3 out of 5]

somewhat juicy office gossip. can't believe they print a newspaper like this