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| From David Pietrusza, the Award-Winning Author of 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents |
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Indelibly, we recall the iconic newsphoto: jubilant underdog Harry Truman brandishing his copy of
1948’s election that a single inglorious headline and a stunning upset victory. Award-winning author
David Pietrusza goes beyond the headlines to reveal backstage events and to place in context a
down-to-the-wire donnybrook fought against the background of an erupting Cold War, the Berlin
Airlift, and the birth of Israel, a post-war America facing exploding storms over civil rights, and
domestic communism.
It’s a war for the soul of the Democratic Party with accidental president Harry Truman pitted
against his embittered left-wing predecessor as vice president, Henry Wallace, and stormy young
South Carolina segregationist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond. On the GOP side, it’s a four-way battle
between cold-as-ice New Yorker Tom Dewey, Minnesota upstart Harold Stassen, the stodgy but
brilliant Ohio conservative Robert Taft, and the imperious but aged Douglas MacArthur.
But Americans really want “none of the above.” They do, however, “like IKE,” but Dwight
Eisenhower stubbornly resists draft movements in both parties to run—at least, that year.
It’s an election year featuring a uniquely stellar supporting cast. Alger Hiss, Whitaker Chambers
and Richard Nixon. Civil rights crusader Hubert Humphrey. GOP VP choice Earl Warren. Henry
Wallace activists Paul Robeson, Lillian Hellman, and Pete Seeger. A passel of FDR kin—including
Eleanor—disgusted with HST. Wisconsin’s Joe McCarthy, Clark Clifford, William O. Douglas,
George C. Marshall, John Foster Dulles, Adlai Stevenson, Drew Pearson, “Landslide Lyndon”
Johnson, H. L. Mencken, Harold Ickes, Clare and Henry Luce, the “Do-Nothing” 80th Congress,
Curtis LeMay, Ronald Reagan, and, last, but not least, NBC’s forever embarrassed H. V.
Kaltenborn.
David Pietrusza achieves for 1948’s presidential race what he previously did in 1960: LBJ vs JFK
vs Nixon—of which Library Journal (starred review) said “raises the bar with his winning and
provocative chronicle. . . . Highly recommended." Pietrusza again brings history to life, spellbinding
readers with tales of the highest drama while simultaneously presenting the issues, personalities, and
controversies of this pivotal era with laser-like clarity.
With 2012’s crucial presidential election approaching, 1948 transforms the way readers see
modern American history.
Just a taste of what’s inside David Pietrusza’s riveting
1948: Harry Truman’s Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America—
***
"In '1948' David Pietrusza brings to light some of the forgotten but important figures in American
political history. There’s Glen Taylor, the singing senator from Idaho and running mate of Henry
Wallace on perhaps the most left-wing national ticket of the past century. Mississippi Fielding
Wright also makes a memorable appearance as understudy for segregationist South Carolina Gov.
Strom Thurmond, a reminder of just how solid the South was for Democrats at one time. Pietrusza
brilliantly portrays President Harry Truman’s successful efforts to stave off the challenge of New
York Gov. Tom Dewey, who was making a repeat bid as the Republican nominee. Though Dewey
lost, readers will come to see him as a surprisingly civil libertarian-minded candidate, opposing the
banning of the Communist Party, despite its promotion of a noxious ideology."
—David Mark, Senior Editor, POLITICO
***
David Pietrusza is the author of 1960—LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That
Forged Three Presidencies; 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents; Rothstein: The Life, Times
and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series; Silent Cal's
Almanack: The Homespun Wit & Wisdom of Vermont's Calvin Coolidge, and the award-
winning Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. His body of
historical work has garnered media attention from such outlets as The New York Times,
Newsweek, US News & World Reports, the Washington Post, NPR, C-SPAN BookTV, C-
SPAN American History TV, MSNBC, SiriusXM, The Fox News Channel, Bloomberg Radio,
the New York Daily News, The New York Post, the Jerusalem Post, The New York Law
Journal, The New York Sun, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Denver Post, the Weekly
Standard, the Washington Times, The Seattle Times, The Raleigh News & Observer, the Long
Island Business Press, and the Tucson Sun.
Pietrusza is the Recipient of the 2011 Excellence in Arts & Letters Award of the Alumni
Association of the University at Albany.
1948’s election that a single inglorious headline and a stunning upset victory. Award-winning author
David Pietrusza goes beyond the headlines to reveal backstage events and to place in context a
down-to-the-wire donnybrook fought against the background of an erupting Cold War, the Berlin
Airlift, and the birth of Israel, a post-war America facing exploding storms over civil rights, and
domestic communism.
It’s a war for the soul of the Democratic Party with accidental president Harry Truman pitted
against his embittered left-wing predecessor as vice president, Henry Wallace, and stormy young
South Carolina segregationist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond. On the GOP side, it’s a four-way battle
between cold-as-ice New Yorker Tom Dewey, Minnesota upstart Harold Stassen, the stodgy but
brilliant Ohio conservative Robert Taft, and the imperious but aged Douglas MacArthur.
But Americans really want “none of the above.” They do, however, “like IKE,” but Dwight
Eisenhower stubbornly resists draft movements in both parties to run—at least, that year.
It’s an election year featuring a uniquely stellar supporting cast. Alger Hiss, Whitaker Chambers
and Richard Nixon. Civil rights crusader Hubert Humphrey. GOP VP choice Earl Warren. Henry
Wallace activists Paul Robeson, Lillian Hellman, and Pete Seeger. A passel of FDR kin—including
Eleanor—disgusted with HST. Wisconsin’s Joe McCarthy, Clark Clifford, William O. Douglas,
George C. Marshall, John Foster Dulles, Adlai Stevenson, Drew Pearson, “Landslide Lyndon”
Johnson, H. L. Mencken, Harold Ickes, Clare and Henry Luce, the “Do-Nothing” 80th Congress,
Curtis LeMay, Ronald Reagan, and, last, but not least, NBC’s forever embarrassed H. V.
Kaltenborn.
David Pietrusza achieves for 1948’s presidential race what he previously did in 1960: LBJ vs JFK
vs Nixon—of which Library Journal (starred review) said “raises the bar with his winning and
provocative chronicle. . . . Highly recommended." Pietrusza again brings history to life, spellbinding
readers with tales of the highest drama while simultaneously presenting the issues, personalities, and
controversies of this pivotal era with laser-like clarity.
With 2012’s crucial presidential election approaching, 1948 transforms the way readers see
modern American history.
Just a taste of what’s inside David Pietrusza’s riveting
1948: Harry Truman’s Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America—
- Vitriolic Westbrook Pegler’s exposé of Henry Wallace’s secret “Guru” letters.
- Why the NAACP fired 80-old civil rights pioneer W. E. B. DuBois.
- Why a disgusted Nina Warren voted for HST—and against Tom Dewey and her own
husband Earl. - How A. Philip Randolph’s threatened “March on Washington” integrated the army.
- J. Strom Thurmond: Segregationist white knight—with an illegitimate black daughter.
- The ground-breaking Oregon radio debate that settled a presidential nomination.
- How “Bull” Connor arrested Henry Wallace’s running mate—and nearly arrested Wallace
himself. - The Case of the Missing President: HST’s election night vanishing act.
***
"In '1948' David Pietrusza brings to light some of the forgotten but important figures in American
political history. There’s Glen Taylor, the singing senator from Idaho and running mate of Henry
Wallace on perhaps the most left-wing national ticket of the past century. Mississippi Fielding
Wright also makes a memorable appearance as understudy for segregationist South Carolina Gov.
Strom Thurmond, a reminder of just how solid the South was for Democrats at one time. Pietrusza
brilliantly portrays President Harry Truman’s successful efforts to stave off the challenge of New
York Gov. Tom Dewey, who was making a repeat bid as the Republican nominee. Though Dewey
lost, readers will come to see him as a surprisingly civil libertarian-minded candidate, opposing the
banning of the Communist Party, despite its promotion of a noxious ideology."
—David Mark, Senior Editor, POLITICO
***
David Pietrusza is the author of 1960—LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That
Forged Three Presidencies; 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents; Rothstein: The Life, Times
and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series; Silent Cal's
Almanack: The Homespun Wit & Wisdom of Vermont's Calvin Coolidge, and the award-
winning Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. His body of
historical work has garnered media attention from such outlets as The New York Times,
Newsweek, US News & World Reports, the Washington Post, NPR, C-SPAN BookTV, C-
SPAN American History TV, MSNBC, SiriusXM, The Fox News Channel, Bloomberg Radio,
the New York Daily News, The New York Post, the Jerusalem Post, The New York Law
Journal, The New York Sun, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Denver Post, the Weekly
Standard, the Washington Times, The Seattle Times, The Raleigh News & Observer, the Long
Island Business Press, and the Tucson Sun.
Pietrusza is the Recipient of the 2011 Excellence in Arts & Letters Award of the Alumni
Association of the University at Albany.
| A Selection of The History Book Club, The Book-of-the Month Club, The Quality Paperback Book Club, The Military Book Club, The Doubleday Large Print Book Club & The Literary Guild "Fantastic" —Jonathan Hunt, The Fox News Channel _______________________________________ "a coherent, compelling narrative . . . What the reader learns here is that the long-term veneer that often sticks to political figures always clouds the reality. And understanding what actually transpired is not only more important, but also far more intriguing. A skillful, authoritative investigation into one of the most famous presidential elections in U.S. history." —Kirkus Reviews _______________________________________ "sweeping . . . compelling" —Library Journal _______________________________________ “David Pietrusza has written a vivid account of President Truman’s unlikely comeback and ultimate victory in the presidential election of 1948. Anyone with an interest in modern American politics or campaign strategy will find many lessons and much enjoyment in this important book.” —Senator Mitch McConnell _______________________________________ "an outstanding job of describing the complicated political climate of 1948 . . . by far the best yet about the fateful [1948] election" —Minneapolis Star-Tribune _______________________________________ "an amazing, amazing book—really, really good—well written and full of stuff you're just not taught. . . . Fascinating . . . Pick it up now." —Glenn Beck ______________________________________ "a worthy successor to “1920: The Year of the Six Presidents," a superb recounting of a largely forgotten political season, and “1960: JFK v. LBJ v. Nixon," which manages to shed fresh details on that year’s epic. Pietrusza opts for the brisk narrative/character sketch (think “The Making of the President,” but with no pretense of grandeur), over the minute retelling of every seminal event that weighs down Edmund Morris’ series on Teddy Roosevelt or John Milton Cooper’s well regarded 2008 biography of Woodrow Wilson. It is less grand history than a jaunty, essayist’s rendition—imminently readable and revealing." —Congressman Artur Davis (D-AL) _______________________________________ "A masterpiece!" The "chapter on the 1948 Republican convention is one of the few times I actually learned somethings I didn't know. It was masterful. I thought [Pietrusza's] 1960 book was among the best political books I've ever read. 1948 was even better." —Roger Stone _______________________________________ "A great book about American politics . . . a must-read" —John Rothmann, KGO (San Francisco) _______________________________________ "brilliantly portrays . . .Truman’s successful efforts" —David Mark, Sr. Editor, POLITICO _______________________________________ "A terrific book . . . a must read." —Ron Faucheaux, editor-in-chief, Campaigns & Elections magazine _______________________________________ "lively . . . illuminating portraits of the four candidates, but the even- handed appraisal of Truman is especially compelling. . . . The account of the whistle-stop tour is gripping." —Albany Times-Union _______________________________________ "masterful . . . compelling portraits of the people who then occupied the country’s political stage." —townhall.com _______________________________________ “'1948' is the author’s third campaign book and, by a healthy stretch, the best of the lot. . . . a treasure trove of historical minutiae." —John Bicknell, Roll Call _______________________________________ "The journey that Pietrusza takes to get us to Election Day is one that he has definitively become the best at leading. In the past, I’ve compared David Pietrusza’s fascinating campaign histories to the legendary work done by Theodore White in his classic The Making of the President series. After three straight home runs, I think Pietrusza is the undisputed champion of chronicling American Presidential campaigns. These are not just biographies of people running for a certain office in a specific campaign, but biographies of some of our most important campaigns as a whole that happen to be told through the eyes and words and deeds of the principals involved. With 1948, Pietrusza has now told the story of three of our most riveting Presidential campaigns. Would I be getting greedy if I hope that he’ ll give the same treatment to the other 54 Presidential campaigns throughout our nation’s storied history?" —Anthony Bergen, Dead Presidents Blog _______________________________________ "absorbing and fascinating" —Joe Donahue, "The Book Show" (Northeast Radio Network) _______________________________________ "a wonderful book . . . one of the best books of the year." —David Stokes, WAVA (Washington, D.C.) _______________________________________ "a must read for anyone who loves history . . . who loves political theater." —Milhaven McGraw, KTRS (St. Louis) _______________________________________ "This book is magnificent." —John Hancock, KMOX (St. Louis) _______________________________________ "an excellent read" —Peter Solomon, WIP AM & FM (Philadelphia) _______________________________________ "Any political junkie would be crazy not to pick up a copy of David Pietrusza’s 1948 . . ." —Howard Megdal, Editor-in-Chief, The Perpetual Post _______________________________________ "Well informed, well-written, and thorough." —Akie Bermiss, The Perpetual Post _______________________________________ "absolutely fascinating . . . another fascinating look at an absolutely fascinating election" —Michael Koolidge, The Michael Koolidge Show ______________________________________ "a fine narrative on how the accidental president outfoxed the political establishment and won a stunning upset victory." —George Marlin, The Long Island Business Press _______________________________________ "a fun, entertaining read" —Chris DeBello, Issues & Ideas Radio _______________________________________ "well-written fascinating . . . I highly recommend Pietrusza’s 1948: Harry Truman’s Improbable Victory for anyone interested in true life, come-from-behind, against-all-odds stories." —An American Editor (blog) _______________________________________ "a significant book" —Mort Mecklosky, WUSB (Stony Brook, NY) _______________________________________ "very informative, incisive, and entertaining . . . a great behind-the-scenes look at the campaigns." —William L. Wunder, Suite101 |
