Edward R. Murrow: An American Original [Paperback]

Joseph E. Persico (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1990

Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965) is credited with virtually inventing modern radio and television journalism. He served in turn as CBS's European director, war correspondent, vice president and director of public affairs, news analyst, producer and broadcaster of the groundbreaking "See It Now" and "Person to Person" television programmes, and director of the US Information Agency. His name became synonymous with quality, courage and integrity in broadcast journalism. Whether reporting from the rooftops of London during the Blitz and at the gates of Buchenwald at the war's end, or exposing Senator Joseph McCarthy on "See It Now", Murrow's broadcasts shaped the way the American public viewed the world. This biography reveals the events behind his provocative reporting, and the inner life of the legendary journalist.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

If one is curious to find out what makes some people stand out above the rest, what makes a person a hero, the story is in Edward R. Murrow: An American Original.... In comprehensive detail, with dramatic, well-told anecdotes and insight and perceptiveness, Joseph E. Persico describes a man of extraordinary natural gifts, human failings and stunning accomplishments.... a well-organized and readable trip through Murrow's public and personal life. -- The New York Times Book Review, Joan Konner --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Laurel (March 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440503019
• ISBN-13: 978-0440503019
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #507,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Biography of a Journalist, December 4, 2003

By 

Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Edward R. Murrow: An American Original (Paperback)

Edward R. Murrow lived at a time when television journalism was being created. Prior to that he was a radio journalist during the peak period of that medium, being best known for his live coverage of World War II. He was among the pioneers who established the ground rules, expectations, and mores of electronic media journalism. Murrow was also known for his documentary work on television.

Persico gives us a detailed account of the family from which Edward R. sprang. His roots in North America go back well before the Revolutionary War. His Scotch-Irish heritage was deeply Christian.

He traces the family's move from the South to the West. Ed was a member of the freshman class of Washington State in 1930. There were about 2,800 enrolled in that class. Ed was from a working class background and college was a new adventure for him. He first gained media experience while there.

Just as thoroughly as the college years are covered so are the other eras of Murrow's life. This book is well-researched and enjoyable to read. It helps one to see the philosophical assumptions and background of one of the pioneers of broadcast journalism.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the Murrow books, June 18, 2006

By 

Kevin Hayes (Sarasota, FL, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Edward R. Murrow: An American Original (Hardcover)

Having read most of the Murrow histories, I've always been a bit puzzled that this one seems to reside in the shadow of the ubiquitous biography by Sperber. To my mind, this is the single best Murrow biography, lending extra and dimension to the man and insight into his bittersweet life.

If you are interested in E.R.Murrow, by all means read Sperber, but you are not finished until you read Persico.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murrow cousin comment, December 1, 2007

By 

S. Post (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Persico did an oustanding job of capturing the life of Ed Murrow. As a cousin of Ed Murrow and researcher of the family history, one correction in future printings would be appreciatiated. Chapter 2, page 16 (in my version) states that Ed's father, Roscoe's, grandfather, "had married a woman who was half Cherokee". That is not correct. Roscoe's grandfather was Andrew Murrow who married a true daughter of the British Isles. Our beloved Cherokee connection comes from a generation earlier - Roscoe Murrow's great grandfather, father of Andrew, John Murrow, married a woman who was one QUARTER Cherokee. So the statement was wrong on both counts - wrong generation and wrong amount of Native American heritage. In Persico's defense, this information came from an interview during which Ed Murrow himself apparently misquoted the family history.