Fit to Print: A.M. Rosenthal and His Times

by Joseph C. Goulden

Examines the rise to power of the New York Times' innovative leader, concentrating both his ability to pull the newspaper through difficult times and his sometimes difficult personality

8 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1988

Reviews

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was able order this out of print book from THriftbooks. It was recommended to me by Ron Hummer. From what he wrote in his review, I expected A.M. Rosenthal to be a much more Scrooge of a boss. Early in life he had some health problems with osteoarthritis, but was able to encounter a man who was able to fix his problem. When he first was hired by the NY Times, he and his family were sent to a number of foreign posts. He especially didn't like Poland. He worked his way up to managing editor, and later divorced his wife, who, though she bore him four sons, became fat and sickly. After a while, he remarried. He was irascible, and treated some of his staff quite badly.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fit to Print is as much about the times as it is about the Times and about A.M. Rosenthal. When Punch Sulzberger took over from his brother-in-law in 1963, the New York Times did not have a budget. Every one of the fourteen departments spent what they felt they needed to spend. In perhaps unrelated news, the paper was making a profit of about .5% and was unable to withstand any crises without losing money. The year before Punch took over, there was a 114-day printer’s strike, and the paper bled money. What kept the organization afloat were its industrial holdings, but that wasn’t a long-term strategy.