Katharine the Great

Katharine the Great

"Katharine the Great: Katharine Graham and The Washington Post" is an unauthorized biography of Katharine Graham, the newspaper owner, authored by Deborah Davis (1949), and initially released in 1979.

The book was first published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ), but they withdrew the book from circulation after a few weeks and returned the rights to Davis after citing that "certain facts and circumstances have arisen since publication." [cite news | title = A Biography Gets the 'Out of Print' Treatment | publisher = The New York Times | date = 1980-01-15] Davis sued HBJ for $6 million in 1982 for breach of contract, alleging the recall came after a letter from the Post's executive editor, Benjamin C. Bradlee to the publisher; Bradlee called the publication of the book "completely irresponsible" and then listed 39 errors where his name appeared. The suit was settled out of court for $100,000. [cite news | title = Author Sues Publisher On Disavowal | publisher = The New York Times | date = 1982-07-22] [cite news | title = People | publisher= The New York Times | date = 1983-11-04]

ynopsis

Although the book purports to give an account of the life of Katharine Graham, her parentage, and the death of her husband Philip Graham in 1963, the book also advances some theories that have been met with considerable controversy. For example, Davis proclaimed that that the source behind the Watergate scandal, popularly known as Deep Throat, was a CIA officer named Richard Ober (in fact, it was later revealed that Deep Throat had been FBI Associate Director Mark Felt). She also claims that the Washington Post's executive editor, Benjamin C. Bradlee, was part of a CIA propaganda plan to support the convictions of spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. [cite news | author = Alex S. Jones | title = Katharine the Great | publisher = The New York Times | date = 1987-09-20]

Criticism

The book received unfavorable reviews from the "Los Angeles Times", "The Washington Post", "The New York Times" and others. [cite news | author = Jess Cook | title = Graham | publisher = Los Angeles Times | date = 1979-12-30] [cite news | author = Robert Sherrill | title = Biography On the Bias | publisher = The Washington Post | date = 1979-12-23] [cite news | author = John Leonard | title = Books of The Times | publisher = The New York Times | date = 1979-11-12] cite news | author = Eve Pell | title = Killing 'Katharine the Great' | publisher = The Nation | date = 1983-11-12] cite news | title = Letters | publisher = The Nation | date = 1983-11-26]

Davis' 1983 settlement with HBJ was heralded as a victory for writers though by Eve Pell of "The Nation", but Pell saw both at fault for failing to fact check.

Release details

It was republished in 1987 by National Press Inc. [cite news | title = Katharine Graham Book Is Being Republished | publisher = The New York Times | date = 1987-04-22] , and again in 1991, this time by Sheridan Square Press.

References


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