Dark Horse: A Biography of Wendell Willkie
by Neal, Steve
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good in Very Good DJ
- ISBN 10
- 0385184395
- ISBN 13
- 9780385184397
- Seller
-
Morganton, North Carolina, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Reviews
Long before John McCain began his political career, Wendell Willkie served as the model for a Republican Party maverick. A Democrat for most of life, Willkie emerged as one of the most prominent critics of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930s. His charismatic public persona and opposition to the administration's policies towards business made him a national figure, and at the urging of admirers Willkie became a Republican as a prelude to winning the GOP presidential nomination in 1940. With a world war as a backdrop, Willkie was defeated in a close election, yet much to the chagrin of Republican leaders he used his newfound prominence to endorse his opponent's foreign policy -- a move that contributed to his defeat when he sought a rematch four years later.
A longtime political reporter and columnist, Steve Neal's biography offers quite a few insights into the factors and failings of Willkie's presidential run Yet his book overall is a disappointment as a biography. Neal devotes most of the book to Willkie's political career, with over a third of its pages spent on his 1940 presidential campaign alone. While this makes sense from the standpoint of Willkie's significance to American history, it effectively condenses the majority of Willkie's years as a lawyer and business executive to a prelude to his political activities. Often, key developments in Willkie's life are not analyzed or even described, merely noted in Neal's rush to get to what he wants to write. As a result, much of Willkie's development, particularly of his political views, tends to get lost. The result is an account that, while readable and even gripping in its evocation of the Willkie phenomenon, comes up short as the book it is advertised as being.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Chris Hartmann, Bookseller (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 025598
- Title
- Dark Horse: A Biography of Wendell Willkie
- Author
- Neal, Steve
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good in Very Good DJ
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- ISBN 10
- 0385184395
- ISBN 13
- 9780385184397
- Publisher
- Doubleday & Company
- Place of Publication
- Garden City, NY
- Date Published
- 1984
- Keywords
- Willkie, Wendell, Politicians
Terms of Sale
Chris Hartmann, Bookseller
All books subject to prior sale, returns accepted within 10 days with notification, if not as described. Prices net to all. METHODS OF PAYMENT: Check with order, U.S. bank funds only. I can also accept deposit or credit card payment through PayPal.��NC residents add 6.75% sales tax. SHIPPING: USPS 4th Class Media Mail: $7.00 minimum, some heavy books more, each additional book $4.00. Priority Mail: $12.00 minimum, many books more, depending on weight and your postal zone; please ask for exact amount. FOR ALL NON-U.S. SHIPMENTS, INQUIRE FOR EXACT SHIPPING COSTS. Also inquire for Fedex, or other special handling.
About the Seller
Chris Hartmann, Bookseller
About Chris Hartmann, Bookseller
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