Reviews
In "Horace Greeley: Print, Politics, and the Failure of American Nationhood," James M. Lundberg, a history professor at Notre Dame, traces Greeley's struggles with the vicissitudes of U.S. history during his lifetime, from the anguish induced by James Polk's Mexican War to the tensions of Reconstruction. It's a compact volume, well crafted and filled with insight, designed to illuminate such events through Greeley's thinking—and employ history, in turn, to probe the Greeley legacy.
Through Greeley, Lundberg paints a rich picture of an American political economy coming to grips with its internal contradictions. Lundberg's history provides us with key insights into the ways in which the emergent conditions of American nationhood were both compelled and repelled by a media landscape unsure of its place in the construction and maintenance of American political discourse.
An enthralling and well-written biography of Greeley. It brings to life his fascinating connections, thwarted ambitions, and importance to nineteenth-century American history. A cracking read.
Beyond its complex and challenging thesis, this book is simply an exceptional work of history. Written in a brisk yet comprehensive style that will appeal to scholars and general readers alike, Horace Greeley is clear, logical, lucid, and concise. Lundberg's treatment of Greeley's New-Yorker years is both fresh and original, bringing to life the formative period in the editor's professional life. A compelling work of history on a timely, relevant topic.
James M. Lundberg's fresh, timely approach to Greeley sheds new light not only on the influential editor himself, but also on his era. Alas, as Professor Lundberg persuasively shows, the newspaper revolution, which kindled such optimism in Greeley, did more to weaken the bonds of union than to strengthen them.
Book Details
Acknowledgments
Introduction. Print and Legends
Chapter 1. Oracle
Chapter 2. The Nation in the Balance
Chapter 3. Making the Yankee Nation
Chapter 4. Horace Greeley's American Conflict
Chapter 5. The
Acknowledgments
Introduction. Print and Legends
Chapter 1. Oracle
Chapter 2. The Nation in the Balance
Chapter 3. Making the Yankee Nation
Chapter 4. Horace Greeley's American Conflict
Chapter 5. The Most American of Americans
Epilogue. A Union Printer
Notes
Index