The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst

If you choose to read this book prepare for a very long experience. As I navigated this story I was amazed at how much influence W R. Hearst wielded in his life. He was unstoppable and very well- connected. Would love to see in person San Simeon and his famous castle. Worthwhile reading and a great glimpse of the first half of the 20th century.

Many moons ago when I was teaching a class on the history of the mass media I wish I would have had this book as a reference for the section on the newspaper wars of the early 20th century. I spent a fair portion of my time discussing Pulitzer, Ochs, and Hearst, but particularly WRH and his media empire. David Nasaw's book was a fun and interesting read on the fascinating life of WR. His family, his mistress, and having Hitler and Mussolini on your payroll! His unstoppable spending on art and land and buildings, and his mingling into politics after losing several elections for public office. And of course, need I mention the attempts at stopping the release of the best movie of all time, Citizen Kane.Absolutely loved reading this book.

The yellow journalism, two words not worth capitalizing, captured in the prime of WR Hearst's life shows our current state of media bias and the inaccuracies that result. I have the feeling that the yellow journalism of Hearst's time 100 years ago was harmless compared to now, since media is now omnipresent. On page 53, it is rival and predecessor Joseph Pulitzer who showed Hearst how to sensationalize selective news and how to flaunt profits. At this point in David Nasaw's work, it is father George Hearst who is living the more admirable and interesting life. It wasn't all pandering and reaching for the LCD that made WR grow his business in San Francisco though.On page 69, he innovates a relationship cross country with the NY Herald for cabled articles that reached as far as Paris, a "masterstroke of enterprise" it is called. The year is 1887, Hearst is 24 an a Harvard dropout with a couple of floating mistresses. Still, for his travels and grit and adventurousness, George remains more interesting, less cuckolded by Phoebe Apperson Hearst. Page 122: "On Dec 20, 1897, the Journal carried more than a half dozen stories in which the newspaper was the chief protagonist." WR was beginning to find his style in the delusion of grandiosity that his father had first bought for him and he himself had sold his soul for. I think of Dan Rather carrying that gun in Vietnam and Brian Williams being shot at in that helicopter. At this particular point with these particular mechanisms, The Chief had begun doing what Orson Welles would mimic in Citizen Kane. He also began competing with Teddy Roosevelt as a war-mongerer for Cuba. Phoebe was still giving him an allowance.The politics of WRH don't stay put for long. He attacked McKinley, flipped on FDR and in between could not adapt principles for long on Hoover or Wilson or learn that he himself was not a worthwhile candidate. I take away that Coolidge was his most steady ally, but that mostly from the lack of drama he gave everyone else. TR gives Hearst a few of the choicest words in the book, on page 210. I must say that Hearst has the role of the 2016 Democrat and Roosevelt the voice of Donald Trump if our times were transposed. (H Clinton "sanctions mob violence if" she "thinks that for a moment votes are to be gained" and "cares nothing for the nation, nor for any citizen in it".)Although no one can come to his defense for the remainder of the book, the crimes of meeting Hitler and siding a bit with early Nazi Germany are not the crimes they could be when twisted. I would forgive him for his achievement of spotting Roy Rogers, hearing him actually, and declaring him for the movies.Hollywood is a horrible place in 2016. The media is bought and paid for by unscrupulous influences. This book gives more insight on that than any other. Big politics is actually savory by comparison. Hearst traveled in all three circles, so his financial downfall, only temporary, and his late-in-life embarrassments were due comeuppance for sure.

I ordered the paperback by mistake. Had to return it.

Just finished this book. After reading all 607 pages, I have two general impressions to pass along. The first is that it is, without doubt, a thoroughly researched book to the point that it is as much a reference or text book on the Hearst era as well as a biography of the man. With its 40+ pages of end notes, the author has documented virtually any statement of any important or material fact. However, with that said, I must quickly add that notwithstanding the voluminous end-notes, the references to them (small superscript numbers throughout the text) are not really distracting. They are just there, and after the first page or two, you ignore them, unless, of course, you want to check the source.If it were not for the this second impression, I would have given this book 5 stars. As well written and researched as this book is, I also have to say it is rather hard (tedious?) reading at times. The author has a somewhat disturbing style of using "choppy" sentence structure by breaking them up with parenthetical phases/clauses. After reading the first part of a sentence, often the thought gets interrupted with a subordinate thought or two, and before you're aware of it, you've lost track of what the point of the entire sentence was about--and then have to re-read it to bring the thought together.But, I did enjoy the book very much. It is well worth the price, and well worth reading about this enigmatic, bigger-than-life man who dominated and influenced so many aspects of late 19th and the first half of the 20th century life.

Citizen Hearst by W.A. Swanberg remains the definitive work on William Randolph Hearst. David Nasaw has written a very good book adding details Swanberg left out and correcting some of his mistakes. But what Nasaw misses is the sheer audacity of Hearst in his limitless ambition. Hearst actually believed he could be a king in democratic America, actually believed he would never run out of spending money, and actually believed he could defy the morals of middle class America by living openly with his mistress and succeeded to a surprising degree. Swanberg understands that one key to understanding Hearst is simply taking in the full view leaving the reader stupefied. As for explanations for Hearst's character Nasaw avoids raising the issue altogether. Swanberg posits Hearst was two men rather than one - kind of a Jekyll and Hyde personality. I find this lacking but I'm not sure anybody really knows what motivated Hearst or has the key to unlocking his personality. Nasaw presents Hearst as a more or less ordinary man although a little eccentric. This is simply wrong. Hearst was a force of nature. A hurricane of energy that swept through America and any biography that misses this has failed to understand its subject.

Really enjoyable biography, 600 pages but reads like a novel.

The book looked a bit worn and torn. Considering the price it definitely looked second hand . But it seems to be intact and a good read .

Very good

Something of a monster but Hearsts life worthy of the effort in this tome.

Enjoyable. Informative.