McWilliams, who is best known for his decades as editor of The Nation, had a widely diverse group of influential acquaintances, ranging from J. Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy to Hunter S. Thompson and H.L. Mencken, and interests ranging from legal and political activism to writing about politics to eating, breathing, and dreaming it. A fan of the film Chinatown as well as of the female form, McWilliams knew Hollywood just about as well as he did Washington DC, and was likely to turn up in either, armed with commentary. Political editor Richardson makes good use of interviews and written resources while maintaining an admirable objectivity, given McWilliams' position as the mentor of generations of political writers. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)