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The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Path to Power v. 1 [Hardcover]

Robert A. Caro
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Book Description

7 Feb 1983
This is the story of the rise to national power of a desperately poor young man from the Texas Hill Country. The Path to Power reveals in extraordinary detail the genesis of the almost superhuman drive, energy, and ambition that set LBJ apart. It follows him from the Hill Country to New Deal Washington, from his boyhood through the years of the Depression to his debut as Congressman, his heartbreaking defeat in his first race for the Senate, and his attainment, nonetheless, at age 31, of the national power for which he hungered. In this book, we are brought as close as we have ever been to a true perception of political genius and the American political process.

Means of Ascent, Book Two of The Years of Lyndon Johnson, was a number one national best seller and, like The Path to Power, received the National Book Critics Circle Award.


From the Trade Paperback edition.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product details

  • Hardcover: 864 pages
  • Publisher: The Harvill Press; First Edition edition (7 Feb 1983)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0002170620
  • ISBN-13: 978-0002170628
  • Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 16.5 x 5.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,235,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Product Description

Review

"A superb and unique biography...Meticulous in research, grand in scale, this is a major work that will remain a tower of its kind." (Barbara Tuchman )

"Truly sensational and enthralling...totally original." (Financial Times )

"Powerful and stirring. A monumental political saga...It is an overwhelming experience to read The Path to Power." (New York Times )

"Not only a historical but a literary event. An epic biography...a sweeping, richly detailed portrait...an awesome achievement." (Newsweek )

"Wholly fascinating...splendidly enjoyable." (The Times ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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First Sentence
ON THE DAY HE WAS BORN, he would say, his white-haired grandfather leaped onto his black stallion and thundered across the Texas Hill Country, reining in at every farm to shout: "A United States Senator was born this morning!" Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

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4.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although it would be impossible for a short review to really do justice to Caro's epic work on LBJ (of which this is only the first part), a reviewer can, at the very least, recommend it so strongly as to compel the reader to accept the recommendation. 'Path to Power' is a classic of modern literature; it is magnificent, and I compel you to read it.

Robert A. Caro's biography of Lyndon B. Johnson (the first volume of it, at least - 'Path to Power' concludes in 1941, after Johnson's defeat in the Senate election) is characterised by a relentless expansiveness - entire chapters are given over to chronicling the lives of Lyndon Johnson's ancestors; to mapping the complex political landscape both Lyndon, and his father, Sam, were born into; to describing the difficult, labour-intensive existence of Hill County families in the years prior to full rural electrification; and to telling of people as diverse as Sam Rayburn , Alice Green, and the Brown Brothers. (Caro's chapter on Sam Rayburn is particularly good - a gem of biographical writing.)

For Caro, no topic is out of bounds, whether social or historical, psychological or behavioural, if its inclusion and discussion helps to make sense of the ambitious, complicated, tyrannical (and very human) Johnson. We read more about LBJ than we have ever read before, and Caro ensures - through fine writing and sharp, incisive insights - that we are engrossed as we read.

'Path to Power' is a long book, full of detail and texture, with much to reward the patient reader. Finishing it, you feel you have begun to understand a complex man and his complex times.

And it is addictive - the second volume, a little shorter, and the third volume, quite a bit longer, will be irresistible once the first has been digested.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By rob crawford TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I doubt that anyone has ever delved into a biography of anyone as deeply as Caro has done. This volume, which covers Johnson to his first failed Senate campaign (to an early talk radio host), is simply the most spellbinding and detailed bio I have ever read, utterly rivetting as Caro explores Texas and then national politics of a bygone era.

It is nothing short of the story of a political genius, who rose from nothing on his wits and energy and who had a good side and a dark side. You feel that the full complexity of the man is contained within, from his bombast and cowardice to his uncanny ability to cultivate power and use his office to advance himself. It is funny, sad, and the grandest political tableau that has ever been painted I think. YOu get wonderful flashes of his bravado and humor - "looks like old jumbo here needs a little exercise," he tells his brother when emerging from a shower - as well as insight into the issues and governmental methods of the time. There is love (a mistress), disappointment (his loss), abuse (his father and his aides, who had to meet with him while he was on the toilet, etc.), and true caring (for his constituents).

If there is any problem, it is that so many threads are unravelled that many of them have to be dropped midway, never to be taken up again. But then, that is what books should do: make you want to search for more. And it is projected to reach 5 volumes.

One of the best books I ever read.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars If you read one book this year read this one. 26 Mar 2004
Format:Paperback
Robert Caro is one of those gifted writers whose books you simply cannot put down. This is an outstanding book on a fascinating subject. Having read many presidential biographies I believe this (and the others in the series) will not just be the definitive biography of LBJ but the definitive presidential biography.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Multi-faceted biography and interesting biography
This is the first book in Robert Caro's Magnus Opus 4 volume biography of President Lyndon Johnson. A weighty tome of 768 pages it covers Lyndon Johnson's early life, upbringing... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. P. A. Gower
5.0 out of 5 stars a great biography of Lyndon Johnson's first 31 years
This book starts with some of Lyndon Johnson's ancestors (Johnsons - impractical dreamers; Buntons - tempered dreams with doing what's necessary to succeed in life); moves into a... Read more
Published 3 months ago by William Jordan
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant; but where is Johnson?
There is no doubt about it that this a masterful biography. If you want to delve deeply into a world of an individual then this is it. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Banjaxed
4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Researched Biography
This biography is very well researched -- Caro is almost Johnson-like himself in leaving no stone unturned in his task of rendering the first phase of LBJ's life. Read more
Published 16 months ago by TREX
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Writing
I suppose very few people are interested in Lyndon Johnson these days, and why not? he passed out of history 40 years ago. Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2010 by Highbury
4.0 out of 5 stars l b j
I have all three books by robert caro and will be reading them over the next few months
therefore I have only browsed through this book as with the others but they do appear... Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2010 by John M. Davies
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling read.
I bought this book as a result of an article in the "Times" a few years ago in which it said that this was a masterpiece of biography. Read more
Published on 23 July 2006 by soolewis
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