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kaisemic's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful history of my favourite magazine. Equal parts history and anecdotes, with a real feel for what The New Yorker is, and what it represents.
evagro's review against another edition
4.0
Glad I was in this mode for this title; it was quite good. It wove together some of my favorite things - writing, history and The New Yorker.
Read more: http://knowledgeiscool.blogspot.com/2012/12/book-review-about-town.html
Read more: http://knowledgeiscool.blogspot.com/2012/12/book-review-about-town.html
sam8834's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I haven't read any other New Yorker history books, so I can't compare this one to any of them. It was interesting material, for the most part, just a little dull or dry in places. I enjoyed reading about certain writers' journeys to get their work into the magazine, as well as the editorial decisions that went into the text and the look of the publication, over the years. A decent read for fans of twentieth century literature, journalism, and publishing, so long as you don't expect action and dramatics all the way through.
ralovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Would recommend: Yes, but only to someone who is really interested
I know, could I be any more wishy-washy? I think someone who is very invested in the history of The New Yorker would enjoy this book; it's incredibly well-researched, and knowing the background story makes the current magazine make a lot of sense. But for those who prefer a less, ah, dense telling, this book is not for you, and that's okay. There are a lot of books out there chronicling people's experiences with this publication, so I don't think it's a big deal.
I loved reading about the beginning stages of the magazine, but the last quarter of the book was rough for me. The entire book is pretty dense (it would take me a very long time to read just one page, and I could only go for ten pages at a time without feeling a strain), so that's a struggle, but the ending part was about the turmoil in changing editors. Dealing with the difficult of the text itself along with difficult content was a little much for me.
Overall, though, it was enjoyable, informative, and engaging for me. But, then, I am a big nerd.
I know, could I be any more wishy-washy? I think someone who is very invested in the history of The New Yorker would enjoy this book; it's incredibly well-researched, and knowing the background story makes the current magazine make a lot of sense. But for those who prefer a less, ah, dense telling, this book is not for you, and that's okay. There are a lot of books out there chronicling people's experiences with this publication, so I don't think it's a big deal.
I loved reading about the beginning stages of the magazine, but the last quarter of the book was rough for me. The entire book is pretty dense (it would take me a very long time to read just one page, and I could only go for ten pages at a time without feeling a strain), so that's a struggle, but the ending part was about the turmoil in changing editors. Dealing with the difficult of the text itself along with difficult content was a little much for me.
Overall, though, it was enjoyable, informative, and engaging for me. But, then, I am a big nerd.
kaisemic's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful history of my favourite magazine. Equal parts history and anecdotes, with a real feel for what The New Yorker is, and what it represents.
librarylin's review against another edition
4.0
Oddly enough, I've never been a reader of The New Yorker. I've been aware of the magazine since my teens and have read references to it quite often, but I've never sat down and actually read through a single issue. So it was surprising that I enjoyed this book so much--or maybe not surprising. Even in my teens, I read James Thurber's books with glee. I've loved E.B. White since my third-grade teacher read Charlotte's Web to our class. I am familiar with the writers and cartoonists of The New Yorker the way I am familiar with classical music. It has always been in the background of my life and I've heard it, but often haven't paid attention to it.
Yagoda gained access to the archives of The New Yorker when they were donated to the New York Public Library. He recognized a good story when he saw it. He covers the events of the magazine from its beginnings with the legendary editor Harold Ross until the late 1990s. He goes into fascinating descriptions of the people involved in the magazine and how their personalities and quirks shaped it. To me, the book was as engrossing as a good novel. For decades, I've looked at many of its writers as mythical figures. It was humbling and somehow heartening to find that they were human after all.
Now I need to find his book on Will Rogers.
Yagoda gained access to the archives of The New Yorker when they were donated to the New York Public Library. He recognized a good story when he saw it. He covers the events of the magazine from its beginnings with the legendary editor Harold Ross until the late 1990s. He goes into fascinating descriptions of the people involved in the magazine and how their personalities and quirks shaped it. To me, the book was as engrossing as a good novel. For decades, I've looked at many of its writers as mythical figures. It was humbling and somehow heartening to find that they were human after all.
Now I need to find his book on Will Rogers.
neuroteri's review against another edition
4.0
Loved getting the history of my favorite magazine. Plus, this must have been a pretty fun book to write.
northstar's review
I wanted to like this book. I was expecting all sorts of amusing stories and excerpts from the history of this singular magazine, but the book is bogged down by endless name-dropping and descriptions of who edited what on which day. It is worth skimming for some of the anecdotes.
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