The Maverick

George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing

By: Thomas Harding

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Hardcover | 31 August 2023 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
336 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
24.0 x 16.2 x 3.1

Hardcover

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After arriving in London just before the Second World War as a penniless and friendless Austrian-Jewish refugee, George Weidenfeld went on to transform not only the world of publishing but the culture of ideas. The books that he published include momentous titles such as Lolita, Double Helix, The Group and The Hedgehog and the Fox, with authors he championed ranging from Joan Didion, Mary McCarthy, Golda Meir and Edna O'Brien to Henry Miller, Harold Wilson, Saul Bellow and Henry Kissinger.

In this first biography, Thomas Harding provides a full, unvarnished and at times difficult history of this complex and fascinating character. Throughout his long career, he was written about in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Vanity Fair and other publications. Was he, as described by some, the 'greatest salesperson', 'the world's best networker', 'the publisher's publisher' and 'a great intellectual'? Was his lifelong effort to be the world's most famous host a cover for his desperate loneliness? Who, in fact, was the real George Weidenfeld and how did he rise so successfully within the ranks of London and New York society?

Drawing on author correspondence, internal memos, and other documents buried deep in the secret publishing files of Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Harding crafts a portrait of the publisher's life that is inextricable from the efforts and intricacies of putting a book into the world. Structured around twenty books associated with George Weidenfeld, and intercut with explorations of contemporary concerns such as the right to publish, freedom of speech and separating the art from the artist, The Maverick tells the captivating story behind the life of this iconic publisher.

Industry Reviews

THE MAVERICK recalls a champion of ideas with a knack for networking and a taste for the high life . . . an organizational feat - NEW YORK TIMES

An entertaining biography . . . THE MAVERICK is packed with fascinating accounts of book deals and debacles during the 'golden age of publishing,' as well as plenty of high-society gossip - WASHINGTON POST

Anchors George Weidenfeld as one of the foremost influencers in modern literature . . . A treasure trove of insight and history

Harding has fun detailing his subject's four marriages and associated romantic interludes . . . We're always on the edge, wondering if George, the cosmopolitan charmer who made it to the House of Lords, will pull another cracker from the hat - Daily Mail

A vivid account of publishing's glory years told through the action-packed life of one of its most charismatic pioneers

George Weidenfeld was a titan of a man, an irresistible character and something of a genius. This book does him full justice

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