A Life in the Twentieth Century: Innocent Beginnings, 1917-1950

US: Mariner Books, 2002. Paperback. Good. From America's most celebrated living historian comes this "sprightly, stra ightforward account of the first third of an active and charmed life" (New York Times). Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. turns a studied eye on a personal past and reconstructs the history that has made him such an iconic figure for g enerations of readers. A LIFE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY offers rare and reve aling access to both the private world of a great American writer and the f ine-grained texture of the American century. Ranging from a fondly remembered childhood in the Midwest to a fascinating, storied academic and political life, this volume is an important addition to Schlesinger's body of work, "every bit as well written as anything Schle singer has done" (Providence Sunday Journal) and "sure to be used by studen ts of the times for years to come" (Boston Globe). "With style and humor an d a master historian's deft blending of personal detail with epic events" ( Wall Street Journal), Schlesinger evokes the struggles, the questions, the paradoxes, and the triumphs that shaped our era as only he can do. Editorial Reviews Review "For more than fifty years, Arthur Schlesinger has been at the vital center of our public life. He has not only chronicled American history, he has he lped to define it -- as the fighting intellectual of Americans for Democrat ic Action, adviser to Adlai Stevenson, special assistant to President Kenne dy. . .What a remarkable life he has lived; what wonderful books he has wri tten." --President Bill Clinton, on the occasion of awarding the 1998 Natio nal Humanities Medal "A Fascinating and generous account of a life tuned to the musi.