The Publisher

Starred review from February 15, 2010
The magazines Henry Luce and Time Inc. launched have become institutions, but as Brinkley's magisterial biography reminds us, Luce was only 24 years old when he published the first issue of Time
at the tail end of a recession in 1923—not much different from today's digital media entrepreneurs. (Brinkley also details the role of Brit Hadden, Luce's friendly rival at Hotchkiss and Yale and eventual business partner, in making the magazine a success.) Those around Luce frequently described him as arrogant, and his intense sense of purpose increasingly played out in the pages of his magazines, like his insistence (despite numerous warnings from observers on the front lines) on supporting Chiang Kai-shek as a counter to the rise of communism in China. Brinkley appears to have read every issue from the early decades of Time
, Fortune
, and Life
cover to cover, grounding his criticisms of Luce's social and political vision in rigorous detail. He's equally solid on Luce's personal life, including his early years as the son of Christian missionaries in China and his whirlwind courtship of (and rocky marriage to) Clare Boothe Luce. A top-notch biography, and a valuable addition to the history of American media.

Starred review from December 15, 2009
Founded by Henry R. Luce, "Time Inc." not only helped create a new form of magazine journalism but also changed the way we receive our news. That is the main premise behind Brinkley's magisterial biography. The surefooted Brinkley (Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin and the Great Depression) details the formative events of the publisher's life and skillfully explains how Luce succeeded in launching Time in 1923, targeting middle-class readers through its novel format. Soon after, Luce created Fortune and Life magazines, which made him one of the most powerful publishers in the business. Moreover, he was not hesitant to use his power, whether to advocate the cause of Chiang Kai-shek in China or support Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower. Brinkley also vividly depicts Luce's tumultuous marriage to Clare Booth, but while he covers all the important events, Ralph G. Martin's Henry & Clare: An Intimate Portrait of the Luces is a more successful recounting of their marriage as well as of Clare Booth's own fascinating life. VERDICT In this era, with print media in crisis, Brinkley reminds us of its heyday. Thoroughly researched and well written, this outstanding biography is mandatory reading for all journalism students and will appeal to all readers of American history.Richard Drezen, Brooklyn

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2010
Forty-three years after Henry Luces death, historian Brinkley brings fresh perspective to Luces life and work. Brinkley analyzes Luces political influence while furnishing readers with fair-minded estimates of his character. Typical of media moguls, Luce sought political influence through his instrumentsTime, Fortune, and Life magazines. But if Luces frustration with the limitations of his sway over politicians flows through Brinkleys pages, so too does Luces acumen in launching his publications, or co-acumen to speak accurately about Time, which was as much the brainchild of Luces prep-school comrade Briton Hadden (who died in 1929). Brinkleys portrayal of Haddens competitive, sometimes combative relationship with Luce foreshadows one of his lifelong features: his inability to establish friendships. He had business associates, not chums, and his two marriages (the second to celebrity politician Clare Boothe) and several affairs were stormy, as indicated by Brinkleys extensive quotations from the archives. Luce might not have been very happy, but he was wealthy, famous, and a redoubtable journalistic force, all of which are reasons for settling into this absorbing biography.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)