The Time of Their Lives

In this love song to book publishing, Silverman offers a fascinating chronicle of the industry’s golden age, an era that began after World War II and lasted for over three decades. Relying on the eyes, ears, and memories of more than 120 notable publishing figures, including Alfred Knopf, the Doubleday fathers and sons, and the Thornhills of Little, Brown and Company, the author offers an intimate history of never-before-told stories about how some of the most important books in postwar America came into being. He pays particular homage to the era’s talented horde of editors, who offer marvelous stories about their authors, including Barney Rosset whose Grove Press freed such banned authors as D. H. Lawrence and Henry Miller. Silverman illuminates a period in publishing that formed a distinguishing landmark of culture in American life.