Means of Ascent by Robert A Caro
Hailed as 'the greatest biography of our era' (The Times) this is the second part of Robert Caro's multi-award-winning best-selling work on American President Lyndon Johnson. In Means of Ascent Robert Caro enters into the central narrative of Johnson's life, through his service in the Second World War and the foundation of his long-concealed fortune - as well as the facts behind the myths he created about them. But the explosive heart of the book is Caro's revelation of the true story of the fiercely contested 1948 senatorial election, which Johnson won with the '87 votes that changed history'. Caro makes us witness to a momentous turning point in American politics: the tragic last stand of the old politics versus the new. Extraordinarily edifying, Means of Ascent is one of the richest, most intensive and most revealing examinations ever undertaken of an American President.
"The greatest biography of our era … Essential reading for those who want to comprehend power and politics" * The Times *
"Monumental … sets a standard by which future political biographies must be judged" * Telegraph *
"Thrilling … never has it been told so dramatically, with breathtaking detail piled on incredible development" * New York Times *
"A white-knuckle hair-raising tale … riveting and explosive" * Time *
"Uputdownable … as compulsive as any Hollywood thriller" * Evening Standard *
"Monumental … sets a standard by which future political biographies must be judged" * Telegraph *
"Thrilling … never has it been told so dramatically, with breathtaking detail piled on incredible development" * New York Times *
"A white-knuckle hair-raising tale … riveting and explosive" * Time *
"Uputdownable … as compulsive as any Hollywood thriller" * Evening Standard *
Robert A. Caro has been described as `the greatest political biographer of our times’ (Sunday Times) and `the most revered historian of his generation’ (New York Times). His first book, The Power Broker, published in 1974, was described in 2015 as `one of the greatest non-fiction works ever written’ (Sunday Times) and his ongoing multi-volume work The Years of Lyndon Johnson has been described as `the greatest biography of our era’ (The Times). With these books he has twice won the Pulitzer Prize, twice won the National Book Award and three times won the National Book Critics Circle Award. He has also been awarded virtually every other major literary honour, including the National Humanities Medal, awarded by President Barack Obama, the highest award in the humanities given in the United States. Born in 1935, he graduated from Princeton University, later became a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and was an investigative reporter for Newsday for six years. He lives with his wife, the writer Ina Caro, in New York City, where he is at work on the fifth and final volume of The Years of Lyndon Johnson.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780712698894 |
| ISBN 10 | 0712698892 |
| Title | Means of Ascent |
| Author | Robert A Caro |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 1992-11-12 |
| Number of pages | 544 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |