Synopses & Reviews
The greatest political story ever told—the epic clash between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, as captured in Theodore White's dramatic and groundbreaking chronicle
The Making of the President 1960 is the book that revolutionized—even created—modern political journalism. Granted intimate access to all parties involved, Theodore White crafted an almost mythic story of the battle that pitted Senator John F. Kennedy against Vice-President Richard M. Nixon—from the decisive primary battles to the history-making televised debates, the first of their kind. Magnificently detailed and exquisitely paced, The Making of the President 1960 imbues the nation's presidential election process with both grittiness and grandeur, and established a benchmark against which all new campaign reporters would measure their work. The winner of the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction—and the first entry in White's influential four-volume "narrative history of American politics in action"—this classic account remains the keystone of American political journalism.
Review
“No book that I know of has caught the heartbeat of a campaign as strikingly as Theodore White has done in The Making of the President 1960.” New York Times
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“A masterpiece . . . full of deep insights into political power in America and how our democracy works in choosing the President. It gripped me from beginning to end as very few books have.” William L. Shirer
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“More than a fascinating account of how one man succeeded in reaching the White House, while other failed; it is a graduate lesson in the rough, relentless, subtle and devious workings of American politics. It is a magnificent job of reporting, but it is also history.” Saturday Review
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“[White] revolutionized the art of political reporting.” William F. Buckley
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“A notable achievement. White has written a fascinating story of a fascinating campaign.” Time magazine
Synopsis
The groundbreaking national bestseller and Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the 1960 presidential campaign, this work stands as "a masterpiece . . . full of deep insights into political power in America and how our democracy works in choosing the president (William L. Shirer).
Synopsis
A Harper Perennial Political Classic, The Making of the President 1960 is the groundbreaking national bestseller and Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the 1960 presidential campaign and the election of John F. Kennedy. With this narrative history of American politics in action, Theodore White revolutionized the way presidential campaigns are reported. Now back in print, freshly repackaged, and with a new foreword written by Robert Dallek, The Making of the President 1960 remains the most influential publication about the election of John F. Kennedy.
About the Author
Theodore H. White (1915-1986) was an American political journalist, historian,and novelist, best known for the Making of the President series: his accounts of the1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972 presidential elections, all of which are being reissued withnew forewords by Harper Perennial Political Classics. His other books include ThunderOut of China, America in Search of Itself, and In Search of History: A Personal Adventure.