1425 Blind Ambition: The White House Years, by John W. Dean III (read 4 Dec 1976) This is a good book even though it is laced with profanity not just in quotes but in relating Dean's own thoughts. But it is quite a book and has the real ring of truth--even though the quotes are probably not real quotes. Thoroughly readable. ( )

An interesting read, and more readable than I 'd anticipated. Dean (or perhaps his ghost writer; there's a bit of dispute) paints a believable portrait of a hard-working, ambitious politico who gets entangled in Watergate. The book makes no excuses for Dean, and comes very near to directly implicating the president.

Dean was a central player in the cover-up, and paints interesting portraits of the other players. Worth reading just for that; he's got a good eye for character. That his version of the story is close to the one we "know" is likely inevitable; his narrative shaped the Ervin committee's hearings. Since the story-as-told is neither obviously self-serving nor protective of the president, I'd be willing to treat it as a key research source were I researching these events. Others, I'm sure, differ.

And one last note: This is perhaps the worst-proofed book I've ever read. Typographical errors are common. ( )