The seventh in a series chronicling the remarkable history of The Times newspaper and the media mogul who bought and reshaped it in the early 1980s.
This volume looks at the history of one of Britain’s most venerable newspapers since its takeover by Rupert Murdoch in 1981, and the many changes that took place in the turbulent years that followed.
The account will encompass the media mogul’s infamous clashes with the British printers’ unions, culminating in 1986 with the Wapping dispute in which the power of the unions was decisively broken, with far-reaching implications for British trade unions and the media at large.
Taking over from the late John Grigg, who wrote the most recent two volumes in this series, Graham Stewart is a highly rated historian with a gift for depicting the complex characters who inhabit the upper echelons of power. With this book, he will provide valuable insight into the workings of one of the most controversial business leaders in the world today and the newspaper that helped shape his media empire.
Reviews
Praise for ‘The History of the Times’:
‘pulsing with journalistic flesh and blood…Stewart has written a judicious, balanced account of a fascinating period in the life of a great newspaper.’ Alan Rusbridger (editor of The Guardian)
‘Pulsing with journalistic flesh and blood … a judicious, balanced account of a fascinating period in the life of a great paper.’ Alan Rusbridger, editor of the Guardian
'Stewart has produced a book bursting with previously unpublished detail … this is not just the history of The Times, but of our times … all human life, as they say, is here. Times readers will find it a demanding but rewarding peep inside their favourite paper.' Western Daily Press
‘… it is one of the best evocations I have ever read of the pandemonium of a newspaper office … Stewart is definitive.’ The Sunday Times
‘Part gangland thriller, part heroic romance … Stewart argues convincingly that The Times by 2002 was a far more robust proposition than the paper Murdoch purchased.’ TLS
‘Stewart’s book should appeal to a wider audience than journalists… The Times’s story is told well here…To say [Graham Stewart] is fair may sound tepid. Actually it is high praise.’ Literary Review
'No biographer of Rupert Murdoch, whether hatchet man or hagiographer, has told you more between the lines than the proper and properly resourced scholar whose official “History of The Times: The Murdoch Years” slips sedately on to library shelves this week.' Peter Preston, Observer
'The latest Times historian succeeds in holding the ring with objectivity… He tells the story of the 1983 notorious Hitler Diaries hoax with verve and brio.' Anthony Howard, The Times
'[A] magisterial summing up.’ Harry Reid, The Herald
About the author
Graham Stewart is a leading 20th-century historian, author of Burying Caesar and Friendship and Betrayal. He worked as historical researcher to the late Alan Clark before taking up his current role as historian of The Times newspaper.
