Luce, Henry Robinson (Subject)

Hit-or-miss biography of the co-founder of Time Magazine and Time, Inc. It is readily apparent that Swanberg doesn't much like his subject, and the author pounds heavily at Luce's (admitted) sanctimony and Time's (admitted) slant on the news. However, the net effect of the constant repetition of these themes eventually induces boredom. There's also an annoying habit of mimicking TimeStyle, with "Lucepress," "Timen" and the like being used ad nauseum. A few times would have been sufficient, but repeated over 400 pages starts to be an imposition. You do get a flavour for the influences on Luce, and particularly why China was such a central issue for the man, but the level of snark is off-putting. Irony, really: this is a Luce treatment of Luce himself. Maybe that was the original point, I don't know. Swanberg also did a biography of William Randolph Hearst, Sr., so he must have had something against publishing moguls -- at least the right-wing variety. ( )

1992 Luce and His Empire, by W. A. Swanberg (read 30 Mar 1986) (Pulitzer Biography prize for 1973) This is undoubtedly the Swanberg book I have enjoyed least. It is very hostile to Luce, and that doesn't bother me too much, but it is, in its constant harping on Time's unfairness, seemingly not fair itself. Much of Luce's moral viewpoint is one I am in sympathy with. Have I been affected by all those years, since 1946 on, that I read Time? Luce was born in China Apr 29, 1898, and died in a Phoenix hospital Feb 28, 1967. I guess I hadn't realized how pro-Vietnam War the Luce publications were--though of course so was I till 1968, and I never really became very anti-war, even though I was very anti-Nixon. Much of this book I thought not good, but it finished strong. I had forgotten when Luce died, so I really didn't know when the book was going to end, which is kind of a piquant aspect when reading a biography. ( )