David Astor - Softcover
Few newspaper editors are remembered beyond their lifetimes, but David Astor is a great exception to the rule. Growing up surrounded by astonishing wealth (the family home was so large it included a miniature railway to transport meals to the dining room) Astor’s early life was far from idyllic. At Oxford he suffered the first of the bouts of depression that were to blight his life, and he became a lost soul for much of the Thirties but when he took the Observer on in 1948 he converted a staid Sunday paper into essential reading. Employing the likes of Kim Philby, Vita Sackville-West, Clive James and Patrick O’Donovan (who became famous for writing his report on Bobby Kennedy’s funeral before it had taken place) he doubled the circulation and created a paper envied and admired.
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Review:
"Jeremy Lewis has written a definitive account of Astor and his world." (Robert McCrum Observer)
"Lewis’s affectionate and endearing biography is also a nostalgic celebration of the liberal intelligentsia and metropolitan elite...from the 1940s to the 1970s. There are many rewards in this book, which is full of old Fleet Street gossip, big names and good jokes." (Richard Davenport-Hines The Times)
"Jeremy Lewis’s excellent new biography brings out both sides of this complex figure, tracing the contradictions of his character to his privileged but painfully conflicted upbringing... He gives a marvellous description of the golden age of the Observer." (John Campbell Financial Times)
"A fascinating, well-written and brilliantly researched account.... The book is a great achievement." (Piers Brendon)
"Excellent new biography." (Richard Astor Observer)
Book Description:
"Lewis’s affectionate and endearing biography is also a nostalgic celebration of the liberal intelligentsia and metropolitan elite...from the 1940s to the 1970s. There are many rewards in this book, which is full of old Fleet Street gossip, big names and good jokes." (Richard Davenport-Hines The Times)
"Jeremy Lewis’s excellent new biography brings out both sides of this complex figure, tracing the contradictions of his character to his privileged but painfully conflicted upbringing... He gives a marvellous description of the golden age of the Observer." (John Campbell Financial Times)
"A fascinating, well-written and brilliantly researched account.... The book is a great achievement." (Piers Brendon)
"Excellent new biography." (Richard Astor Observer)
An exceptional biography of that rarest of creatures – a really good man
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- PublisherVintage
- Publication date2017
- ISBN 10 0099552124
- ISBN 13 9780099552123
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages432
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. An exceptional biography of that rarest of creatures - a really good manFew newspaper editors are remembered beyond their lifetimes, but David Astor is a great exception to the rule. Growing up surrounded by astonishing wealth (the family home was so large it included a miniature railway to transport meals to the dining room) Astor's early life was far from idyllic. At Oxford he suffered the first of the bouts of depression that were to blight his life, and he became a lost soul for much of the Thirties but when he took the Observer on in 1948 he converted a staid Sunday paper into essential reading. Employing the likes of Kim Philby, Vita Sackville-West, Clive James and Patrick O'Donovan (who became famous for writing his report on Bobby Kennedy's funeral before it had taken place) he doubled the circulation and created a paper envied and admired. Few newspaper editors are remembered beyond their lifetimes, but David Astor of the Observer is a great exception to the rule. George Orwell had urged Astor to champion the decolonisation of Africa, and Nelson Mandela always acknowledged how much he owed to the Observers long-standing support. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099552123
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. reprint edition. 432 pages. 9.25x6.00x1.22 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0099552124
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Book Description Condition: New. David Astor is a great exception to the rule. His early life was far from idyllic. At Oxford he suffered the first of the bouts of depression that were to blight his life, and he became a lost soul for much of the Thirties but when he took the Observer on in 1948 he converted a staid Sunday paper into essential reading. Num Pages: 432 pages. BIC Classification: 3JJ; BGL; KNTJ; KNTP. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 155 x 233 x 35. Weight in Grams: 602. . 2017. Reprint. Paperback. . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780099552123
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Book Description Condition: New. David Astor is a great exception to the rule. His early life was far from idyllic. At Oxford he suffered the first of the bouts of depression that were to blight his life, and he became a lost soul for much of the Thirties but when he took the Observer on in 1948 he converted a staid Sunday paper into essential reading. Num Pages: 432 pages. BIC Classification: 3JJ; BGL; KNTJ; KNTP. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 155 x 233 x 35. Weight in Grams: 602. . 2017. Reprint. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780099552123
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David Astor (Paperback)
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Vintage Publishing, London
(2017)
ISBN 10: 0099552124
ISBN 13: 9780099552123
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. An exceptional biography of that rarest of creatures - a really good manFew newspaper editors are remembered beyond their lifetimes, but David Astor is a great exception to the rule. Growing up surrounded by astonishing wealth (the family home was so large it included a miniature railway to transport meals to the dining room) Astor's early life was far from idyllic. At Oxford he suffered the first of the bouts of depression that were to blight his life, and he became a lost soul for much of the Thirties but when he took the Observer on in 1948 he converted a staid Sunday paper into essential reading. Employing the likes of Kim Philby, Vita Sackville-West, Clive James and Patrick O'Donovan (who became famous for writing his report on Bobby Kennedy's funeral before it had taken place) he doubled the circulation and created a paper envied and admired. Few newspaper editors are remembered beyond their lifetimes, but David Astor of the Observer is a great exception to the rule. George Orwell had urged Astor to champion the decolonisation of Africa, and Nelson Mandela always acknowledged how much he owed to the Observers long-standing support. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099552123
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