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| The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst | 
| Author: David Nasaw
Publisher: Mariner Books
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy Used: $1.02
You Save: $15.93 (94%)
New (25) Collectible (1) from $5.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 49978
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 704
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 0618154469
Dewey Decimal Number: 070.5092
UPC: 046442154468
EAN: 9780618154463
ASIN: 0618154469
Publication Date: September 6, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Over 600,000 Feedbacks Posted!!! Great Buy!!!*** Never Used*** May Have a Publisher's Mark~We have over 3,500,000 Books Sold!!!
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Amazon.com Review
The epic scope of historian David Nasaw's biography matches the titanic personality and achievements of William Randolph Hearst (1862-1951), who built "the nation's first media conglomerate" from a single San Francisco newspaper. Based on previously unavailable sources, including Hearst's personal papers, Nasaw's long but absorbing narrative gives a full-bodied account of the often contradictory mogul: "a huge man with a tiny voice; a shy man who was most comfortable in crowds ... an autocratic boss who could not fire people; a devoted husband who lived with his mistress." Wife Millicent Hearst and actress-inamorata Marion Davies also emerge with more complexity than in previous portraits like Orson Welles's Citizen Kane, whose factual inaccuracies Nasaw dissects. The author tempers the usual simplistic account of Hearst's political evolution from fire-breathing leftist to red-baiting conservative, calling him "a classic liberal" who believed in less-is-more government and deplored fascism as much as communism. Fresh insights and elegantly turned phrases abound in Nasaw's depiction of Hearst's activities as newspaper publisher, movie producer, and politician, but what's even more intriguing is the poignant personal drama of a man born "in the city of great expectations on the edge of the continent" who was buried 89 years later in San Francisco, "the place he used to know." --Wendy Smith
Product Description
Named one of the best books of the year by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Business Week, and GQ, THE CHIEF: THE LIFE OF WILLIAM RANDLOPH HEARST is "an absorbing and ingeniously organized biography . . . of the most powerful publisher America has ever known" (New York Times Book Review). Drawing on papers and interviews that were previously unavailable, as well as on newly released documentation of interactions with such figures as Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, every president from Grover Cleveland to Franklin Roosevelt, and movie giants Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, and Irving Thalberg, David Nasaw completes the picture of this colossal American "engagingly, lucidly and fair-mindedly" (Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.). "Outstandingly researched, elegantly but not flamboyantly written, and fair in its conclusions about Hearst's astonishing career" (Wall Street Journal), THE CHIEF "must be regarded as the definitive study . . . It's hard to imagine a more complete rendering of Hearst's life" (Business Week).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 GREAT READ February 1, 2008
This book is a real winner! What a whirlwind of a life! I loved it!
A Fascinating Figure February 11, 2007
An excellent, well-written book chronicling the life and times of an individual who may well belong in the first-tier, and certainly at least in the second-tier, of the most influential Americans of the twentieth century. The writing is lively, vivid and engaging. The times in which he lived are carefully woven into the story Mr. Hearst's evolution of thought and action over his life, demonstrating what an inconsistent, cipher of a man he really was. Much attention is paid to the many different characters surrounding "The Chief", which only adds to the overall high-quality of the book. A must read before visiting San Simeon.
 lots of detail July 24, 2006
This book is much more than I thought it would be. I'm really enjoying all the detail and learning so much. Life was so different back then and it's fascinating to be "transported" back to another time and another class.
Great Reading! ! ! February 1, 2006
I loved this book. I find Hearst fascinating. Imagine being such an important, rich and busy man--and he just loved playing solitaire and buying beautiful furnishings and accessories for his great ranch. I think he contributed a lot to society and I really enjoyed reading most of it. The political and parts where he got involved with the war, etc., I kind of either read over or skipped past as those parts of books come to an easy conclusion without having to read all the gory details. I wanted to read about the substance of what made a guy like this tick. I think I got a good idea of him through Nasaw's book.
A Remarkable Man, A Remarkable Life! January 19, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
William Randolph Hearst was loved and hated by millions. He became one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. He ran for President, created one of the grandest homes ever built, and lived one of the most complex, fascinating lives of the 20th century. Loving and devoted to his wife, Millicent, and their five children on the East Coast, he lived openly with his mistress, Marion Davies, on the West Coast. An avid supporter of unions and the "common man," he was one of the most ruthless "barons" and fought unions, communism and Franklin Roosevelt ferociously. He was the first to "vertically integrate" his businesses, leveraging the same material in newspapers, magazines, newsreels and movies. What a life!
If they know anything about Hearst at all, most people think they know him from Orson Welles' movie, "Citizen Kane." While "Kane" is, without doubt, one of the very best films ever made (if you haven't seen it, by all means rent the DVD! It's fantastic!) it is unfortunately a terribly shallow and vindictive caricature of the real man. Welles was associated with political movements that had labeled Hearst "public enemy number one" in the 1930's, and the film reflects his point of view.
While Hearst was selfish and ego-manical, his rampant collecting also saved vast warehouses of art and antiques from destruction, creating his "Enchanted Hill" in San Simeon, California. In 1959, when his estate gave the property to California as a park, it was valued at $55 million, and it is by far the most extraordinary personal residence ever built in the United States. If you haven't seen in, put it on your life-list of things to see!
But why read the book? Here's my short list of essential reasons: (1) He was a man of courage. It's easy to disagree, or even have contempt for, many of his opinions and actions but he stood by them. (2) He was a visionary and many of the positions he advocated were ahead of his time. Our world today looks remarkably similar to what he predicted, and we can learn from that. (3) He was extraordinarily resilient. When his personal foibles combined with the depression to drive him nearly bankrupt in the late 1930's, he fought back. He never gave up.
Nasaw does a remarkable job of telling a complex story and I found the book highly readable. This is great history and an inspiring story. To understand the 20th century, and to be personally inspired, read this book. You'll be richer for it.
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