The Earl of Louisiana

Abbott Joseph Liebling

Louisiana State University Press, 2008 - Biography & Autobiography - 252 pages

In the summer of 1959, A. J. Liebling, a veteran writer for the New Yorker, came to Louisiana to cover a series of bizarre events that began with Governor Earl K. Long's commitment to a mental institution. Captivated by his subject, Liebling remained to write the fascinating yet tragic story of Uncle Earl's final year in politics. First published in 1961, THE EARL OF LOUISIANA recreates a stormy era in Louisiana politics and captures the style and personality of one of the most colorful and paradoxical figures in the state's history. This updated edition of the book includes a foreword by T. Harry Williams, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of HUEY LONG: A BIOGRAPHY, and a new introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Yardley that discusses Liebling's career and his most famous book from a twenty-first-century perspective.

What people are saying

Review: The Earl of Louisiana

User Review  - Robert - Goodreads

This may well be the best book about politics I have ever read, and in the top ten of all the books I have read. AJ Liebling, the great New Yorker writer, at the height of his ability in 1959 and 1960 ...

Review: The Earl of Louisiana

User Review  - James Voorhees - Goodreads

This is a fascinating, entertaining look at American politics. Earl Long was Huey's brother. He served as governor of Louisiana in the late 1950s, which is when Liebling went to the state to report on ...

About the author

A. J. Liebling (1904–63) was a longtime contributor and columnist for the New Yorker. He was the author of The Sweet Science and nineteen other books of nonfiction, including Chicago: The Second City, available in a Bison Books edition.

T. Harry Williams is a famous historian whose books include the classic "Huey Long, P.G.T. Beauregard: Napoleon in Gray," "Lincoln and His Generals," and "McClellan, Sherman, and Grant,

Booth Tarkington (18691946), born in Indianapolis, is best known for the Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Magnificent Ambersons,"
Jonathan Yardley is a book critic and columnist for the "Washington Post," He has written six books and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Earl of Louisiana; Southern Biography Series
• Author: Abbott Joseph Liebling
• Contributors: T. Harry Williams, Jonathan Yardley
• Publisher: Louisiana State University Press, 2008
• ISBN: 0807133434, 9780807133439
• Length: 252 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Political; History / United States / 20th Century; History / United States / State & Local / General; History / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV); Political Science / American Government / State