The definitive and "utterly absorbing" biography of America's first news media baron based on newly released private and business documents (Vanity Fair).
In The Chief, David Nasaw presents an intimate portrait of William Randolph Hearst, famously characterized in the classic film Citizen Kane, and whose influence was nearly as great as many world leaders.
A brilliant business strategist, Hearst controlled the largest publishing empire in the United States, including twenty-eight newspapers, the Cosmopolitan Picture Studio, radio stations, and thirteen magazines. He quickly learned how to use this media stronghold to achieve unprecedented political power.
The son of a gold miner, Hearst underwent a public metamorphosis from Harvard dropout to political kingmaker; from outspoken populist to opponent of the New Deal; and from citizen to congressman.?
With unprecedented access to Hearst's personal and business papers, Nasaw details Heart's relationship with his wife Millicent and his romance with Marion Davies; his interactions with Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, and every American president from Grover Cleveland to Franklin Roosevelt; and his acquaintance with movie giants such as Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, and Irving Thalberg.
An "absorbing, sympathetic portrait of an American original," The Chief sheds light on the private life of a very public man (Chicago Tribune).
"Nasaw's "The Chief" works on a large, even heroic, canvas and, thanks to Nasaw's exhaustive research, moves on a level of detail that would satisfy even Theodore Dreiser." The Los Angeles Times
"[Nasaw] has given his biography an immediacy that almost makes the reader forget that the author . . . was not there as the story unfolded." --Orville Schell The New York Times
"...the Hearst whom Nasaw portrays...is still the fascinating figure we've known for years: the self-absorbed genius equally addicted to power and possessions..." Publishers Weekly
"...absorbing and sympathetic portrait of an American original, the first full-scale biography of the publishing giant and politician in nearly 40 years." The Chicago Tribune
"In this exhaustively researched biography [Nasaw] has allowed us finally to understand . . . the father of the modern media conglomerate." The Chicago Tribune
"Nasaw's judicious and comprehensive biography sensibly seeks to understand its subject, not to judge him." The New Yorker
"Unlikely to be surpassed as the definitive study of its subject." The Wall Street Journal
"A highly readable portrait of a fascinating individual." The San Francisco Chronicle
"Nasaw keeps his subject human and believable, no easy task when writing about such a colorful and forceful man." The Seattle Times
"The large and in-charge William Randolph Hearst's flirtations with Hitler, Mussolini, and Louis B. Mayer are documented in David Nasaw's utterly absorbing bio." Vanity Fair
"The Chief is both an informative piece of scholarship and a pleasure to read." The San Diego Union-Tribune
"Nasaw's intriguing study is a must-read." The Nation
"A thoroughly researched volume that must be regarded as the definitive work...It's hard to imagine a more complete rendering of Hearst's life." Business Week
"Mr. Nasaw makes Hearst a regular guy . . . and often likable or sympathetic, if far from a universal hero." The New York Times
"...the best biography I read in 2000." -- Jonathan Yardley The Washington Post
