The Father of Spin Edward L. Bernays and The Birth of Public Relations

by Tye, Larry

• ISBN13: 9780805067897
• ISBN10: 0805067892
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-09-01
• Publisher: Picador

Summary

The Father of Spin is the first full-length biography of the legendary Edward L. Bernays, who, beginning in the 1920s, was one of the first and most successful practioners of the art of public relations. In this engrossing biography, Larry Tye uses Bernayss life as a prism to understand the evolution of the craft of public relations and how it came to play such a criticaland sometimes insidiousrole in American life. Drawing on interviews with primary sources and voluminous private papers, Tye presents a fascinating and revealing portrait of the man who, more than any other, defined and personified public relations, a profession that today helps shape our political discourse and define our commercial choices.

Author Biography

Larry Tye was a long-time journalist for The Boston Globe, where he won numerous awards for his work. He has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and is the author of Home Lands.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Starting with Symbols	1	(22)
Lighting Up America	23	(28)
The Big Think	51	(26)
Setting the Spin	77	(14)
Rationale for a Profession	91	(22)
Getting Personal	113	(28)
At the Office	141	(14)
Going to War	155	(30)
Uncle Sigi	185	(14)
The Cambridge Years	199	(28)
A Question of Paternity	227	(24)
Notes	251	(20)
Bibliography	271	(8)
Acknowledgments	279	(4)
Index	283