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  • The Maverick

  • George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing
  • By: Thomas Harding
  • Narrated by: Jeremy Clyde
  • Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

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The Maverick

By: Thomas Harding
Narrated by: Jeremy Clyde
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Publisher's Summary

Born into a Jewish family in Vienna in 1919, George Weidenfeld fled to England in 1938 to escape the Nazi regime. There he began a career in publishing that would make him one of the most influential figures in the industry. Over the course of his long and illustrious career he championed some of the most important voices of the twentieth century, from Vladimir Nabokov, Mary McCarthy and Saul Bellow to Harold Wilson, Isaiah Berlin and Henry Kissinger.

But what do we know about the man himself? 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? Providing a full, unvarnished and at times difficult history of this complex man, this first biography of a titan of culture is also a story of resilience, determination and the power of ideas to shape history.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Thomas Harding (P)2023 Orion Publishing Group Limited

Critic Reviews

The Maverick anchors George Weidenfeld as one of the foremost influencers in modern literature and a man who rose from extraordinary circumstances to lead an even more extraordinary life and legacy. A treasure trove of insight and history (ARIANNA HUFFINGTON)
Meticulously researched, cunningly constructed and compellingly written. A vivid account of publishing's glory years told through the action-packed life of one of its most charismatic pioneers (ANTHONY HOLDEN)
George Weidenfeld was a titan of a man, an irresistible character and something of a genius. This book does him full justice (SIMON HEFFER, author of THE AGE OF DECADENCE and HIGH MINDS)

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