Tag Archives: Luke Nichter
Brinkley’s Omission is Sad
I consider Douglas Brinkley one of the top biographers of our time. He has rapidly risen up the list. Most recently, I thought his work, Cronkite, was really outstanding. 
I have to admit to you that I was disappointed in the announcement that he chose not to include the Watergate tapes in his newest work on Nixon, entitled The Nixon Tapes: 1971-1972, co-authored with Luke A. Nichter (New York: Houghton-Mifflin, 2014).
It is true that the tape content is readily available elsewhere. What is not readily available is Brinkley’s take, analysis, and commentary on those tapes.
Anyone can listen to the tapes. Anyone can also give his or her interpretation. But “anyone” is not Brinkley. And, I am buying this to see what he says about the tapes as much as any other reason.
This will be a best-seller. Brinkley’s books always are.
But, how much we may be missing when we don’t have this analysis?
My personal preference would have been to make two volumes.
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If you would like to read a recent review of this book published in the Wall Street Journal by John Lewis Gaddis on July 25, 2014, click here:
