
The Chief
The Life of William Randolph Hearst
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Narrated by:
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David Colacci
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By:
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David Nasaw
About this listen
William Randolph Hearst, known to his staff as the "Chief", was a brilliant business strategist and a man of prodigious appetites. By the 1930s, he controlled the largest publishing empire in the United States, including 28 newspapers, the Cosmopolitan Picture Studio, radio stations, and 13 magazines. He quickly learned how to use this media stronghold to achieve unprecedented political power.
The son of a gold miner, Hearst underwent a public metamorphosis from Harvard dropout to political kingmaker; from outspoken populist to opponent of the New Deal; and from citizen to congressman. In The Chief, David Nasaw presents an intimate portrait of the man famously characterized in the classic film Citizen Kane.
With unprecedented access to Hearst's personal and business papers, Nasaw details Heart's relationship with his wife, Millicent, and his romance with Marion Davies; his interactions with Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, and every American president from Grover Cleveland to Franklin Roosevelt; and his acquaintance with movie giants such as Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, and Irving Thalberg. An "absorbing, sympathetic portrait of an American original," The Chief sheds light on the private life of a very public man (Chicago Tribune).
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- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Hearsts: Father and Son, William Randolph Hearst, Jr., and co-author Jack Casserly tell the extraordinary story of an American family from the gold-diggings of California to the present Hearst media empire. They also profile a cavalcade of reporters and columnists who became the stars of the Hearst newspapers, and portray the colorful New York nightlife of the 1930s and 1940s.
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Terrible reading
- By Randal Martin on 02-22-07
By: William Randolph Hearst Jr., and others
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The Last Viking
- The True Story of King Harald Hardrada
- By: Don Hollway
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Harald Sigurdsson burst into history as a teenaged youth in a Viking battle from which he escaped with little more than his life and a thirst for vengeance. But from these humble origins, he became one of Norway’s most legendary kings. The Last Viking is a fast-moving narrative account of the life of King Harald Hardrada, as he journeyed across the medieval world, from the frozen wastelands of the North to the glittering towers of Byzantium and the passions of the Holy Land, until his warrior death on the battlefield in England.
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Just okay
- By Amazon Customer on 06-28-24
By: Don Hollway
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The Bully Pulpit
- Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism
- By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 36 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Goodwin describes the broken friendship between Teddy Roosevelt and his chosen successor, William Howard Taft. With the help of the "muckraking" press, Roosevelt had wielded the Bully Pulpit to challenge and triumph over abusive monopolies, political bosses, and corrupting money brokers. Roosevelt led a revolution that he bequeathed to Taft only to see it compromised as Taft surrendered to money men and big business. The rupture led Roosevelt to run against Taft for president, an ultimately futile race that gave power away to the Democrats.
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Makes You Forget You Live in the 21st Century Good
- By Cynthia on 01-11-14
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The House of Rothschild, Volume 1
- Money's Prophets: 1798-1848
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Alexander Adams
- Length: 28 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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In his rich and nuanced portrait of the remarkable, elusive Rothschild family, Niall Ferguson uncovers the secrets behind the family's phenomenal economic success. He reveals for the first time the details of the family's vast political network, which gave it access to and influence over many of the greatest statesmen of the age. And he tells a family saga, tracing the importance of unity and the profound role of Judaism in the lives of a dynasty that rose from the confines of the Frankfurt ghetto and later used its influence to assist oppressed Jews throughout Europe.
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Fascinating
- By Jean on 06-26-19
By: Niall Ferguson
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The House of Morgan
- An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 34 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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A gripping history of banking and the booms and busts that shaped the world on both sides of the Atlantic, The House of Morgan traces the trajectory of the J. P.Morgan empire from its obscure beginnings in Victorian London to the crash of 1987. Ron Chernow paints a fascinating portrait of the private saga of the Morgans and the rarefied world of the American and British elite in which they moved. Based on extensive interviews and access to the family and business archives, The House of Morgan is an investigative masterpiece.
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The construction of the House of Morgan
- By Darwin8u on 10-22-18
By: Ron Chernow
What listeners say about The Chief
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- Carrie Philp
- 06-17-23
Way too long
The Chief is 736 pages if read. I listened it was 30+hrs. Hurst is a fascinating character in the 19th and 20th century. A million adjectives probably cannot describe the man. But David Colacci sure did try. I would put money on the dashboard that only a few people actually read this book cover to cover. It’s another book added to personal libraries collecting dust. A great look into over the top wealth, propaganda, and eccentricity. Just way too damn long.
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- peter taylor
- 01-19-22
Last of the Media Moguls
fascinating person who shaped journalism in this country.Rupert Murdoch must have been a admirer of W.R
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- stanley casacio
- 09-16-22
definitely worth the read.
nothing is new under the sun it only gets updated. Hearst mirrors facebook tweeter and all of the media today that will do anything to influence our country. but the question is are they helping or hurting society
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- John Goldsby
- 12-17-21
Citizen Hearst
I listened to this book after seeing a documentary on Hearst. The Nasaw telling of this man is beautiful in its complexity. His story had many layers the documentary could not address. If you like a well-paced biography, this is the book for you.
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5 people found this helpful
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- RJA
- 04-10-23
A man bigger than life
I had never read much about Mr. Hearst. This book is an excellent resource regarding his personal and business life. Surely he had his flaws but his influential mark on journalism is irrefutable.
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- clandstu
- 07-24-23
Fascinating but boring
I hate being critical and this is probably subjective and unfair- but this needed a much more dynamic reader. Otherwise, good story and if you can get beyond the reader, you’re better than I.
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- Scott Brooks
- 07-31-24
What a pleasure it was to read (listen to) this book!
Absolutely one of the best biographies I’ve ever read! Hearst was both Good and bad, moral and amoral, and on both the right and wrong side of history, at various times in his life.
But one thing he was not was boring.
I would rate the author, David Nasaw as one of the better storytellers out there.
Great book and a very worthwhile read/listen!
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- ejb
- 05-31-23
Excellent bio, Excellent author
Nasaw is a great biographer and captures Hearst’s life in a captivating way. Never a dull moment in WRH life. I recommend Nasaws Carnegie bio too!
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-19-23
Exceedingly interesting life
I found this easy to listen to at 1.5 x. The story was one I had never heard so it held my attention well.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-06-23
Hearst Trump and Musk
The modern times of today seem to be a replay of Hearst’s time with different characters playing the same rolls. Hearst, to me was a combination of Elon Musk and Donald J. Trump.
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