American Dreamers: The Wallaces and Reader's Digest : an Insider's StoryThe fascinating, behind-the-scenes story of Reader's Digest and its founders, and how this beloved American institution lost its innocence when corporate lawyers and Wall Street wrested control from the men the founders chose to preserve their business "in the Wallace mode". Today a multibillion-dollar publishing colossus, Reader's Digest began life in 1922 in a tiny basement storeroom in New York's Greenwich Village. The magazine's founders, DeWitt and Lila Wallace, believed deeply in the American dream and saw their magazine as a way of spreading this belief to millions of their fellow citizens. But this is not a happily-ever-after fairy tale. In the early eighties, when the seemingly immortal Wallaces suddenly faltered, a shadow fell over Pleasantville as ambitious men began to scheme and maneuver for power. Much has been reported about what happened next, but always from the outside, through a veil of rumor and obfuscation. Now, in American Dreamers, Digest insider and longtime managing editor Peter Canning reveals for the first time the appalling dimensions of the struggle that consumed Camelot. |
Contents
The White House1972 | 11 |
De Witt 18891920 | 19 |
Lila 18871922 | 41 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
American appeared asked author's interview Barney became become began believed Bill called CHAPTER clear Cole Cross DeWitt director Doherty early editor employees executives fact feel finally Fred funds Gene give Grune hand happened Harry head High High Winds idea insisted interest issue James John Judy keep knew later Laurance letter Lewis Lila Lila's living looked Macalester magazine McHenry meeting million months named never O'Hara offer once Oursler president problem profits published question Reader's Digest recalls remained returned Rockefeller says seemed sell shares showed summer sure talk tell things Thompson thought told took trust turned Wallace Wallace's Wally wanted weeks Winds wrote York