An edition of A diary of the century (1995)

A Diary of the Century

Tales from America's Greatest Diarist

New Ed edition
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Last edited by MARC Bot
July 18, 2024 | History
An edition of A diary of the century (1995)

A Diary of the Century

Tales from America's Greatest Diarist

New Ed edition
  • 0 Ratings
  • 0 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 0 Have read

From eager youth in Kewanee, Illinois, to feature writer and author, Ellis paints a palpable, candid, and telling picture of American life and his own experiences in the twentieth century. His book is filled with hundreds of characters and plots for scores of short stories and dozens of novels.

He sees Garbo on the silent screen, and he hears Jolson sing when movies begin talking. He is a teenager when Wall Street crashes, and a young man during the Great Depression. His diary entries of those lean years are among the most visceral, haunting passages in the book.

As a reporter in Kewanee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Peoria, Chicago, and New York, Ellis had a ringside seat at events rarely witnessed by most Americans. He interviews Thomas Mann on Germany in the wake of the Nazi defeat; he watches Mae West ogle Mr. America backstage; he takes long walks with Harry Truman, and inadvertently uses Eleanor Roosevelt as a messenger during World War II.

We also find candid portraits of Sinclair Lewis, Louis Armstrong, Paul Robeson, Irving Berlin, and Grace Kelly, among many other celebrities, as well as dozens of ordinary Americans, like Frank Bronnenkant, the riveter who fell in love with the Brooklyn Bridge.

Cited as America's largest diary in the Guinness Book of World Records, Ellis's journal is a vivid, passionate portrait of twentieth-century America, mirroring its turbulent decades and tumultuous changes. It is also the stirring personal drama of one man and his times: the author as adolescent, bachelor, husband, father, reporter, widower, friend, and indomitable octogenarian.

This is enduring Americana, evocative and enlightening, amusing and wise; a wondrous saga to read and savor often and with great pleasure.

Publish Date
Publisher
Kodansha Amer Inc
Language
English
Pages
580

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: A diary of the century
A diary of the century: tales from America's greatest diarist
2008, Union Square Press/Sterling Pub. Co.
in English
Cover of: A diary of the century
A diary of the century: tales from America's greatest diarist
2008, Union Square Press/Sterling Pub. Co.
in English
Cover of: A Diary of the Century
A Diary of the Century: Tales from America's Greatest Diarist
June 3, 2008, Union Square Press
Paperback in English
Cover of: A Diary of the Century
A Diary of the Century: Tales from America's Greatest Diarist
September 1996, Kodansha Amer Inc
Paperback in English - New Ed edition
Cover of: A diary of the century
Cover of: A diary of the century
A diary of the century: tales from America's greatest diarist
1995, Kodansha International
in English

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Book Details


The Physical Object

Format
Paperback
Number of pages
580
Dimensions
9.2 x 6 x 1.8 inches
Weight
1.8 pounds

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL8689189M
Internet Archive
diaryofcentury0000elli
ISBN 10
1568361653
ISBN 13
9781568361659
OCLC/WorldCat
231145681
Library Thing
339181
Goodreads
148439

Source records

Internet Archive item record

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July 18, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
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August 6, 2021 Edited by New York Times Bestsellers Bot Add NYT review links
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