Leveraging content has been mastered by the NY Times and its latest effort is a winner. A month ago, the Times published a special section celebrating the 125thAnniversary of its book review section. I liked reading some of the old reviews and reliving the books. I then noticed they published a more voluminous book, which is now residing in one of my overcrowded bookcases.
Rereading contemporary reviews of books that I enjoyed was a good experience especially since some have become modern classics and Academy Award winning movies. I know how popular and long-lasting the books have become and reading the original reviews gave me a peek back in time to judge the initial assessments. I enjoyed everything I read in that new book.
Following are some of the reviews I read, but just flipping back and forth through the book was a pleasure. Some of these books were controversial when published and opened new ground and similar books of that period are summarized with brief comments.
- All the President’s Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward reviewed by Doris Kearns (accompanied by a 1973 photo of the authors)
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller reviewed by Richard G. Stern
- The Godfather by Mario Puzo reviewed by Dick Schaap
- The Peter Principle by Laurence J. Peter reviewed by Paul Showers
- “Maus” by Art Spiegelman reviewed by Ken Tucker
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee reviewed by Frank Lyell
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger reviewed by James Stern
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald reviewed by Edwin Clark
I found out about this book a little too late to give as holiday gifts, but it is not too late for you to treat yourself and get your own copy. Enjoy!
Have a Happy Holiday and New Year!
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