Very nice site on this series. Seems like Sean Wilentz has taken over for Schlesinger.
Whoever it was in 1969 who named the very first Bob Dylan bootleg album “Great White Wonder” may have had a mischievous streak. There are any number of ways you can interpret the title — most boringly, the cover was blank, like the Beatles’ “White Album” — but I like to see a sly allusion to “Moby-Dick.” In the seven years since the release of his first commercial record, Dylan had become the white whale of 20th-century popular song, a wild, unconquerable and often baffling force of musical nature who drove fans and critics Ahab-mad in their efforts to spear him, lash him to the hull and render him merely comprehensible. --- Bruce Handy, NYTimes ____________________________________________ I figured we can start fresh with Bob Dylan. Couldn't resist this photo of him striking a Woody Guthrie pose. Looks like only yesterday. Here is a link to the comments building up to this reading group.
Nice, thanks. This seems like a good series to read regardless of other bios I might pick up.
ReplyDeleteJust looked at the "eminent lives" series, but it appears to only cover a handful of presidents. Beethoven and de Tocqueville and others are also in there.
Don't know where to post this but it is an eminent life.American Masters on PBS tonight opens season 23 with Sam Cooke.
ReplyDeleteYou can always make a post of your own, bo.
ReplyDeleteYes I could and as a bonus they went right into an hour on Marvin Gaye but I have the feeling these have been on before.
ReplyDeleteOkay last post on this but the Sam Cooke was new even though I've heard most of it before.The Marvin Gaye is from 2008 and to tie it in to the thread one of the persons interviewed on the Sam Cooke show was Jimmy Carter of the Blind Boys of Alabama.
ReplyDeleteI was looking at some of the other titles in the series, and it was interesting to see that Douglas Brinkley chose to write on Ford and not Carter, who he devoted quite a bit of energy to in Unfinished Presidency. Not to mention, Carter's presidency was much interesting than Ford's.
ReplyDeleteDoctorow on Lincoln should be interesting.
Seems like McGovern got Lincoln in the end,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.americanpresidentsseries.com/bookpage.asp?NUM=16
I love the choices of some of the authors. I think that's what makes the series unique. I almost picked up the McGovern one when I was on the Lincoln reading binge, but for some reason changed my mind. Probably because I read the McPherson mini-bio instead (which wasn't very good).
ReplyDeleteI would be up to reading as many in the series as others are interested in. And if Robert can check in from time to time all the better. My guess is he's read all of them up to six or nine months ago.
I'm already finding in reading Madison that there is more I want to read on Madison. These books are fine introductions to a president, but as their brevity suggests, only scratch the surface.
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