Uncrowned King: Rise of William Randolph Hearst

Featuring an eight–page insert of black and white photographs, The Uncrowned King offers a window onto the media world at the turn of the 19th century, as seen by its most successful and controversial figure, William Randolph Hearst. Kenneth Whyte’s anecdotal, narrative style chronicles Hearst’s rivalry with Joseph Pulitzer, the undisputed king of New York journalism, in the most spectacular newspaper war of all time. They battled head–to–head for three years, through the thrilling presidential election campaign of 1896 and the Spanish–American War—a conflict that Hearst was accused of fomenting and that he covered in person. By 1898, Hearst had supplanted Pulitzer as the dominant force in New York publishing, and was well on his way to becoming one of the most powerful and fascinating private citizens in 20th–century America.