Synopses & Reviews
Upon its publication,
My Paper Chase received rave reviews from newspapers, broadcasters, and bloggers across three continents, and was a 2009 Notable Book of the
New York Times-and for good reason. It's the wild and wonderful tale of a
newspapering and publishing odyssey that took Harold Evans from wartime Manchester to London and finally to America. Editor of two of the world's most renowned newspapers, the
Sunday Times and
The Times, publisher of Random House, and a bestselling author in his own right, Evans brings to life print media's glorious history as he recalls his own-from unmasking the greatest Soviet spy to taking on the lost cause of the thalidomide children-and winning-to clashes with politicians, government agencies, and Rupert Murdoch, to finally achieving what Scott Fitzgerald has declared impossible-A Second Act in America.
In an age when newspapers everywhere are under threat, My Paper Chase is a witty and inspiring personal story but also a poignant and timely reminder of all that newspapers have been, and all that can be again.
Review
PRAISE FOR
MY PAPER CHASE:
"My Paper Chase is a fight song that revels in the music of times past...It celebrates bygone glories and dwells on the truths of good journalism that still obtain."--David Carr, New York Times Book Review
Review
"Not only is My Paper Chase a loving homage to the joys of old-fashioned British newspapering but it has allowed Mr. Evans to tell at proper length stories that should now be taught as classics in journalism schools worldwide."--Simon Winchester, New York Times
Review
"A refreshing memoir...Evans jettisons hand-wringing over the 'vanished' times of its melencholy subtitle for one man's unquenchable enthusiasm for his life's work...My Paper Chase is the Gospel of Evans, and the gospel makes juicy copy."--Justin Moyer, Christian Science Monitor
Review
"Old school newspapering comes alive in this scintillating memoir. Evan's creates a lively, evocative portrait of 20th-century journalism...Written with self-deprecating humor and quiet conviction, this is a fine valedictory for a heroic style of journalism one hopes still has a future."--Publishers Weekly
Review
"Engaging...in this readable, almost wistful memoir, Sir Harold Evans remains the rare self-made Englishman who changed British journalism."--Leonard Downie Jr., The Washington Post
Review
"Amid pervasive gloom surrounding the future of newspapers, Harold Evans has produced a memoir to lift the spirits."--Financial Times
Synopsis
A vivid and whip-smart memoir from the legendary editor who spent decades leading newspapers in London and New York.
In My Paper Chase, Harold Evans recounts the wild and wonderful tale of newspapering life. His story stretches from the 1930s to his service in WWII, through towns big and off the map. He discusses his passion for the crusading style of reportage he championed, his clashes with Rupert Murdoch, and his struggle to use journalism to better the lives of those less fortunate. There's a star-studded cast and a tremendously vivid sense of what once was: the lead type, the smell of the presses, eccentrics throughout, and angry editors screaming over the intercoms. My Paper Chase tells the story of Evans's great loves: newspapers and Tina Brown, the bright, young journalist who became his wife.
In an age when newspapers everywhere are under threat, My Paper Chase is not just a glorious recounting of an amazing life, but a nostalgic journey in black and white.
About the Author
Harold Evans is the author of the New York Times bestseller The American Century. He was the founding editor of Conde Nast Traveler, editorial director of U.S. News and World Report, and President and Publisher of Random House, where he published a record number of bestsellers. He was editor of the London Sunday Times and of The Times. He lives in New York.