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Whittaker Chambers
A Biography
by Sam Tanenhaus
ISBN: 0375751459
ISBN-13: 9780375751455
Format: Paperback
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Summary
Chambers, a former Communist Party member and "Time" magazine senior editor, earned a place in history for his testimony in the 1950 Alger Hiss trial, which heralded the age of McCarthyism and the rise to power of then-senator Richard Nixon. Chambers eventually became an aggressive anti-communist.
Customer Reviews
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Media Reviews
"[I]t is an honest and indispensable book that goes a long way toward restoring to Chambers an elementary human plausibility that, between his own inconsistencies and lies told about him by others, he has always lacked." -- Elinor Langer
-- Nation
"Few things are as satisfying as a life story that rekindles the spirit of an era and presents its subject in a way that Sophocles would have understood: as the confrontation character with circumstance. Sam Tanenhaus's 'Whittaker Chambers' is that kind of story." -- Richard Bernstein
-- New York Times
"The story is told as imaginatively as a novelist might tell it, though the restraints of history are scrupulously observed....Tannehaus is marvelous at compressed elegance." -- William F. Buckley
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Random House Inc
Published date: 1998
Size: 6 x 9.25 inches
Weight: 1.7 pounds
Pages: 638
Publisher's Notes
Whittaker Chambers is the first biography of this complex and enigmatic figure. Drawing on dozens of interviews and on materials from forty archives in the United States and abroad--including still-classified KGB dossiers--Tanenhaus traces the remarkable journey that led Chambers from a sleepy Long Island village to center stage in Americas greatest political trial and then, in his last years, to a unique role as the godfather of post-war conservatism. This biography is rich in startling new information about Chambers's days as New York's "hottest literary Bolshevik"; his years as a Communist agent and then defector, hunted by the KGB; his conversion to Quakerism; his secret sexual turmoil; his turbulent decade at Time magazine, where he rose from the obscurity of the book-review page to transform the magazine into an oracle of apocalyptic anti-Communism. But all this was a prelude to the memorable events that began in August 1948, when Chambers testified against Alger Hiss in the spy case that changed America. Whittaker Chambers goes far beyond all previous accounts of the Hiss case, re-creating its improbably twists and turns, and disentangling the motives that propelled a vivid cast of characters in unpredictable directions. A rare conjunction of exacting scholarship and narrative art, Whittaker Chambers is a vivid tapestry of 20th century history.
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Whittaker Chambers : A Biography (Modern Library Ser.)
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York, NY, U.S.A.: Random House, Incorporated, 1998. Clean, tight copy with no writing or markings. Not an Ex-Library Book. Trade Paperback. 1st Edition: 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1. 638 Pages. Includes large B&W photograph. Includes Index, Bibliography, and extensive Notes.. Soft Cover. Very Good. ( more information) Offered by JP's Books and Beyond (United States)
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4)
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Whittaker Chambers: A Biography
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York, New York, U.S.A.: Modern Library, 1998. First Printing. Soft Cover. Very Good. ( more information) Offered by Tommy's Book Shelf (United States)
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6)
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Whittaker Chambers A Biography
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York: Modern Library. Good: Spine uncreased. Light wear and a few corner creases to covers. . Light soiling to top edge.. 1998. First Edition Thus. Paperback: Trade PB. ( more information) Offered by All Booked Up (United States)
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8)
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Whittaker Chambers: A Biography
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York: Modern Library; Random House, 1998 xiv, 638 pp., illus., biblio., index; 23 cm. Tight, clean text. Tiny stain/foreedge. Age toning. "Whittaker Chambers is the first biography of this complex and enigmatic figure. Drawing on dozens of interviews and on materials from forty archives in the United States and abroad--including still-classified KGB dossiers--Tanenhaus traces the remarkable journey that led Chambers from a sleepy Long Island village to center stage in America's greatest political trial and then, in his last years, to a unique role as the godfather of post-war conservatism. This biography is rich in startling new information about Chambers's days as New York's 'hottest literary Bolshevik'; his years as a Communist agent and then defector, hunted by the KGB; his conversion to Quakerism; his secret sexual turmoil; his turbulent decade at Time magazine, where he rose from the obscurity of the book-review page to transform the magazine into an oracle of apocalyptic anti-Communism. But all this was a prelude to the memorable events that began in August 1948, when Chambers testified against Alger Hiss in the spy case that changed America. Whittaker Chambers goes far beyond all previous accounts of the Hiss case, re-creating its improbably twists and turns, and disentangling the motives that propelled a vivid cast of characters in unpredictable directions. A rare conjunction of exacting scholarship and narrative art, Whittaker Chambers is a vivid tapestry of 20th century history." - Publisher.. First paperback edition. Trade Paperback. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. ( more information) Offered by Left Coast Books (United States)
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9)
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Whittaker Chambers: A Biography
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York, New York, U.S.A.: Modern Library, 1998. Soft Cover. Near Fine. ( more information) Offered by Glaeve Art & Books (United States)
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10)
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WHITTAKER CHAMBERS A Biography
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York: Modern Library. VG/NONE 1998. Softcover. Covers mildly creased/edgeworn. Contents clean/bright. . ( more information) Offered by Nelson & Nelson, Booksellers (Wise Street Books) (United States)
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11)
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Whittaker Chambers: A Biography
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York: Modern Library, 1998. 638 pages. Unread condition.. Reprint. Soft Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 9". ( more information) Offered by Beal Street Books (United States)
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12)
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Whittaker Chambers: A Biography (Modern Library Paperbacks)
Sam Tanenhaus
[ Edition: First ]. Excellent Condition. Publisher: Modern Library Pub Date: 4/28/1998 Binding: Paperback Pages: 656 [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ][ Ships Daily ] [ Underlining/Highlighting: NONE ] [ Writing: NONE ] [ Torn pages: NO ] [ Broken Seams: NO ] ( more information) Offered by BookHolders (United States)
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13)
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Whittaker Chambers A Biography
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York: The Modern Library, 1998. Original Wraps First Modern Library edition. Near Fine in Wraps Soft cover copy. First Modern Library edition. Slight rub marks on cover. ( more information) Offered by Wellington Square Bookshop (United States)
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14)
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Whittaker Chambers: A Biography
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York, New York, U.S.A.: Modern Library, 1998. 640 pages with index, light wear. ISBN: 0375751459. Trade paper. Very Good. 8vo - over 4¾" - 9¾" tall. CHAMBERS WHITTAKER 1901 1961 HISS. ( more information) Offered by Highway Book Shop (Canada)
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Price: CAD $15.00
($13.60)
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15)
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Whittaker Chambers A Biography
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York: The Modern Library, 1998. Original Wraps First Modern Library edition. As New Soft cover copy. First Modern Library edition. As New Flawless copy in pristine condition ( more information) Offered by Wellington Square Bookshop (United States)
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16)
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Whittaker Chambers -- A Biography
Tanenhaus, Sam
New York: The Modern Library, 1998. Book is near fine in sepia toned black and white soft covers with black, red and white lettering...text is tight and clean....appears unread....638 pages, crisp with sharp edges and corners...no annotations or markings...an exceptional find for the historean or researcher in this excellent condition.. First Modern Library Edition. Soft Cover. Near Fine/No Dust Jacket. 6 1/4" x 9 1/4". ( more information) Offered by Old Growth Books (United States)
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18)
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Whittaker Chambers: A Biography (Modern Library Paperbacks)
Tanenhaus, Sam
Modern Library. PAPERBACK. 0375751459 New with very slight shelf wear from time on shelf (like you'd see at a major chain). We ship daily, provide personalized customer service and want you to have a great experience purchasing from us. Thank you for your consideration. . New. ( more information) Offered by BennettBooksLtd (United States)
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