Campaign of the Century, Irwin F. Gellman
Campaign of the Century, Irwin F. Gellman
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Campaign of the Century
Kennedy, Nixon, and the Election of 1960

Author: Irwin F. Gellman

Narrator: Christopher Douyard

Unabridged: 16 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/15/2022


Synopsis

Based on massive new research, a compelling and surprising account of the twentieth century's closest election.

The 1960 presidential election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon is one of the most frequently described political events of the twentieth century, yet the accounts to date have been remarkably unbalanced. Far more attention is given to Kennedy's side than to Nixon's. The imbalance began with the first book on that election, Theodore White's The Making of the President 1960—in which (as he later admitted) White deliberately cast Kennedy as the hero and Nixon as the villain—and it has been perpetuated in almost every book since then. Few historians have attempted an unbiased account of the election, and none have done the archival research that Irwin F. Gellman has done. Based on previously unused sources such as the FBI's surveillance of JFK and the papers of Leon Jaworski, vice-presidential candidate Henry Cabot Lodge, and many others, this book presents the first even-handed history of both the primary campaigns and the general election. The result is a fresh, engaging chronicle that shatters long-held myths and reveals the strengths and weaknesses of both candidates.

About Irwin F. Gellman

Irwin F. Gellman is a renowned scholar of twentieth-century American presidential history. His books include The Contender and The President and the Apprentice. He lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania.


Reviews

Goodreads review by CoachJim on November 23, 2023

This book begins with Irwin Gellman’s comment that history is written by the winners. In 1960 John Kennedy won the presidential election. The history was written by Theodore H. White in his Pulitzer Prize winning book The Making of the President 1960. This has been the generally accepted version......more

Goodreads review by Gary on May 12, 2022

I was privileged as a child to hear Vice President Richard Nixon, the Republican candidate for president, speak at Chicago’s O’Hare Field on Oct, 29, 1960, just 10 days before the election. And I similarly was privileged to see President John F. Kennedy, who defeated Nixon in that election, emerge f......more

Goodreads review by Christopher on July 08, 2023

You know, I was really excited about this book. I was pretty underwhelmed. The introduction casts this as a never-before-seen equal depiction of both Kennedy and Nixon, but I didn't really learn much about the campaign itself that I didn't already know. There was some interesting stuff surrounding th......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on May 06, 2022

Gellman's book claims to offer both sides of the election and dispel the convienient historical narrative of Kennedy as the hero and Nixon as the villain and, yet, the book merely switches the two roles and portrays Nixon as misunderstood while Kennedy is deceitful. The author writes with their colo......more

Goodreads review by Jason on April 01, 2022

If you love very detailed, historical non-fiction and are really into politics, this is the book for you. I realized after reading this book that I am not one of them. I found the book interesting and recognize many themes that are similar to our current election/political climate (election fraud, d......more