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The Garfield Orbit
Biography, American History & Studies, US Presidents
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
27 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Leech
13 books11 followersMargaret Kernochan Leech also known as Margaret Pulitzer, was an American author and historian, who won two Pulitzer Prizes in history, for her books Reveille in Washington (1942) and In the Days of McKinley (1960).
She was born in Newburgh, New York, obtained a B.A. from Vassar College in 1915, and worked for fund-raising organizations during World War I, including the American Committee for Devastated France.
She started her writing career for the Condé Nast publishing company before World War I. Leech also worked in advertising and publicity. After the war, she became friendly with members of the Algonquin Round Table, including critic-raconteur Alexander Woollcott. She was an associate of some of the wittiest and most brilliant men and women of literature that spent time at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan.
In 1928 she married Ralph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World newspaper. (His father, Joseph Pulitzer, had established the Pulitzer Prize by a bequest to Columbia University.) They had one daughter, Susan.
Leech also wrote three novels: The Back of the Book (1924), Tin Wedding (1926), and ,i>The Feathered Nest (1928).
Leech died of a stroke in New York City at age 80.
She was born in Newburgh, New York, obtained a B.A. from Vassar College in 1915, and worked for fund-raising organizations during World War I, including the American Committee for Devastated France.
She started her writing career for the Condé Nast publishing company before World War I. Leech also worked in advertising and publicity. After the war, she became friendly with members of the Algonquin Round Table, including critic-raconteur Alexander Woollcott. She was an associate of some of the wittiest and most brilliant men and women of literature that spent time at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan.
In 1928 she married Ralph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World newspaper. (His father, Joseph Pulitzer, had established the Pulitzer Prize by a bequest to Columbia University.) They had one daughter, Susan.
Leech also wrote three novels: The Back of the Book (1924), Tin Wedding (1926), and ,i>The Feathered Nest (1928).
Leech died of a stroke in New York City at age 80.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 21, 2022
Not recommended unless you are really very interested in Garfield as a person.
The author Margaret Leech set out to write a book "with more of the man and less of the 'times' that often obscures the human being".
She succeeded. This is a very thorough investigation of Garfield as a person with hardly any historical context at all. For example, nary a word is written about his reaction to Lincoln's assassination. Even more, very few words are written about Lincoln.
Same with the Civil War, Reconstruction, Johnson's impeachment. In fact, anything of historical consequence from the day Garfield is born in 1831 till his death in September of 1881 is glossed over or not mentioned at all unless it related to Garfield directly, and even then, very little time is devoted to his experience with that specific historical event.
This basically focuses on who he was and his immediate circle of family and friends. There are better, more traditional, biographies out there.
The author Margaret Leech set out to write a book "with more of the man and less of the 'times' that often obscures the human being".
She succeeded. This is a very thorough investigation of Garfield as a person with hardly any historical context at all. For example, nary a word is written about his reaction to Lincoln's assassination. Even more, very few words are written about Lincoln.
Same with the Civil War, Reconstruction, Johnson's impeachment. In fact, anything of historical consequence from the day Garfield is born in 1831 till his death in September of 1881 is glossed over or not mentioned at all unless it related to Garfield directly, and even then, very little time is devoted to his experience with that specific historical event.
This basically focuses on who he was and his immediate circle of family and friends. There are better, more traditional, biographies out there.
June 19, 2019
The beginning of this book is very good, but it falls flat towards the end.
January 5, 2022
Overall this was a disappointing biography. I would have preferred less on Garfield's romantic life and more on important issues he was around/involved with such as the Compromise of 1877.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews