The Time of Their Lives, Al Silverman
The Time of Their Lives, Al Silverman
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The Time of Their Lives
The Golden Age of Great American Book Publishers, Their Editors and Authors

Author: Al Silverman

Narrator: Tom Weiner

Unabridged: 13 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/02/2009


Synopsis

Al Silverman, a noted figure in American publishing, has written a wonderful chronicle of book publishing for all who cherish books. The Time of Their Lives is not only a love song to the industrys golden age, an era that beganafter World War IIand lasted for threeplus decades, but it is also a reflection of the tastes and cultural appetites of the American public.Relying on the eyes, ears, and memories of more than 120 notable publishing figures, including Alfred Knopf, the Doubleday fathers and sons, and the Thornhills of Little, Brown and Company, the author offers an intimate history of neverbeforetold stories about how some of the most important books in postwar America came into being. Along with houses that go back to the mid1800s, Silverman covers publishings postWWII newcomers such as Roger Straus, who amassed nineteen Nobel Prizesin his time, and Barney Rosset, whose Grove Pressfreed such banned authors as D. H. Lawrence and Henry Miller.He takes a close look at the paperback revolution of the 1950s and the 1960s and pays particular homage to the Golden Ages talentedhorde of editors, who offer marvelous stories about their authors. It was Arthur Thornhill, Sr., in his years as president of Little, Brown and Company, who said about the occupation he loved, I wanted to be part of something that was good. In this fascinating and elegiac history, Al Silverman illuminates a period in publishing that not only was good but also formed a distinguishing landmark of culture in American life.

About Al Silverman

Al Silverman spent sixteen years with the Book-of-the-Month Club, first as editorial director, then as its president. In 1988, he became an editor and then the publisher for Viking/Penguin. At Viking he was an editor for such authors as Saul Bellow, T. C. Boyle, Robertson Davies, and William Kennedy. He currently lives with his wife, Rosa, in New York City.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ryan

A comprehensive primer on the "golden age" of publishing in America, with several amusing anecdotes. Silverman keeps to a hagiographic tone throughout, lovingly recounting how risky moves paid off for editors and publishers, and passing over the bad times. In fact, he doesn't once mention a grand fa......more

Goodreads review by Jessica

Reading this book is like having your bigoted, misogynistic, yet ultimately harmless great-uncle corner you at a family reunion to bore you with stories of the old days. Pros: it is valuable as a genealogy of American publishing houses, told by someone who worked in publishing and understood its int......more

Goodreads review by Jeff

Great history of book publishing in the last half of the 20th century. The book is divided by chapters on each of the big publishing companies.......more

Goodreads review by David

I enjoyed the stories, the author's writing, and how the book was organized.......more

Goodreads review by Juliana

"The only thing I can imagine worse than the book business today is the book business tomorrow."-Robert Gottlieb Silverman shares the history and interviews the publishers and editors at many of the biggest publishers of the 20th century. You learn about how each publisher got its start, how they ran......more