Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of The New Yorker
Genius in Disguiseis more than a portrait of Harold Ross. Ross is one of those precious few magazine editors whose essence so richly permeates their publication that to speak of the early years of theNew Yorkerwithout speaking of Ross is as unthinkable asPlayboywithout Hefner orMs.without Steinem. Everything we associate with the sophisticated, urban magazine that refused to address itself to the "little old lady in Dubuque"--the eclectic (and sometimes obscure) subject matter, the obsessive attention to factual and grammatical perfection, even the visual style of the cartoons--was shaped by Ross. But an editor is nothing without writers and artists, and so Kunkel presents Ross as a team captain of sorts, seamlessly weaving anecdotes about the players into his rich portrait of Ross's life.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.