The Times

Praise

“With impeccable reporting, Adam Nagourney gives us intimate portraits of the men and women of The New York Times who reported upon and wrote the headlines of world happenings, and sometimes (to their embarrassment) made headlines themselves. In the style of a first-rate dramatist, he captures what happens behind the scenes in the newsroom, and in his long, wonderful book I did not find one page that failed to interest me.”—Gay Talese, author of The Kingdom and the Power

 “Beneath the utter brilliance of the Times’s front page, Succession-level theatrics broil. Adam Nagourney has completely captured the paper in all its glory and heartbreak, and this book is simply addictive. Journalists will devour it. Readers of the Times will be gripped by the dramas of the inner sanctum.”—Graydon Carter, editor of Air Mail

“Adam Nagourney’s magisterial account of The New York Times’s struggle to reinvent itself for the modern age is utterly engrossing and highly entertaining. Egos rise, careers fall. In this behind-the-scenes look at America’s premier newspaper, the ‘Gray Lady’ comes across as anything but monochromatic or ladylike. Yet Nagourney shows again and again why, for all its flaws, his paper makes the world a better place.”—Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire

“The New York Times is a vital element in the life of the nation, and Adam Nagourney has written a vital book about the internal workings of a powerful but little-understood American institution. With reportorial rigor and a fair-minded analytical voice, Nagourney walks us through years of tumult at the paper, reminding us anew that human forces are forever in play even when they are obscured by the seeming authority of familiar fonts. This is good, important history.”—Jon Meacham, author of American Lion

“Adam Nagourney’s The Times is an insider’s blockbuster account of how The New York Times triumphed over adversity during the past four jangled decades to remain the undisputed newspaper of record. Highly recommended.”—Douglas Brinkley, author of American Moonshot

“Absorbing . . . Nagourney’s account of the Times’ performance during the fraught days after 9/11, the good with the bad, is outstanding. Still, students of the journalism business will most value his study of the halting steps the paper took toward becoming a digital giant. . . . An exemplary work of journalism about journalism, of surpassing interest to any serious consumer of the news.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Drawing on extensive research and original interviews, Nagourney provides astute insight into leadership under crisis as well as a window onto recent decades of polarizing politics. The result is both a valuable case study of an industry in flux and a unique angle on American history.”—Publishers Weekly