The fascinating behind-the-scenes story of the Reader's Digest and its founders, the book shows how this beloved American institution lost its innocence when corporate lawyers and Wall Street wrested control from its creators, DeWitt and Lila Wallace. Ultimately, they saw their once idyllic kingdom become a breeding ground for greed, jealousy, betrayal, and power plays. of photos.
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The fascinating behind-the-scenes story of the Reader's Digest and its founders, the book shows how this beloved American institution lost its innocence when corporate lawyers and Wall Street wrested control from its creators, DeWitt and Lila Wallace. Ultimately, they saw their once idyllic kingdom become a breeding ground for greed, jealousy, betrayal, and power plays. of photos.
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Add this copy of American Dreamers: the Wallaces and the Reader's Digest to cart. $10.09, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Simon & Schuster.
Add this copy of American Dreamers: the Wallaces and the Reader's Digest to cart. $11.21, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Simon & Schuster.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
Add this copy of American Dreamers: the Wallaces and Reader's Digest-an to cart. $14.79, very good condition, Sold by UHR Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hollis Center, ME, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Simon & Schuster.
Add this copy of American Dreamers: the Wallaces and the Reader's Digest to cart. $29.95, very good condition, Sold by AJA Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Venice, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Simon & Schuster.
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Seller's Description:
First Edition, first printing with full number line in near fine / very good condition. The pages are clean and crisp, in like new condition, with no bent corners. Boards are solid, and the spine is square and tight. The dust jacket is clean and undamaged, but has some fading over the spine. Otherwise the book is in excellent condition with an unclipped DJ, and no remainder mark. All items guaranteed, and a portion of each sale supports social programs in Los Angeles. Ships from CA.
Add this copy of American Dreamers: the Wallaces and the Reader's Digest to cart. $78.75, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Simon & Schuster.
Add this copy of American Dreamers: the Wallaces and the Reader's Digest to cart. $13.00, good condition, Sold by Dunaway Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Saint Louis, MO, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Simon & Schuster.
Add this copy of American Dreamers: the Wallaces and the Reader's Digest to cart. $40.17, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Simon & Schuster.
Add this copy of American Dreamers; the Wallaces and the Reader's Digest to cart. $57.00, very good condition, Sold by Ground Zero Books, Ltd. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Silver Spring, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Simon & Schuster.
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Arnold Newman (Author photograph) Very good in Very good jacket. 379, [5] pages. Illustrations. Author's Note. Notes and Sources. Index. DJ has slight wear and soiling and is price clipped. The fascinating behind-the-scenes story of the Reader's Digest and its founders, the book shows what happened to this American institution when corporate lawyers and Wall Street wrested control from its creators, DeWitt and Lila Wallace. Ultimately, they saw their once idyllic kingdom become a breeding ground for greed, jealousy, betrayal, and power plays. From Wikipedia: "Reader's Digest is an American general interest family magazine, published monthly (except for a period between 2010 and 2012 when the American edition was published ten times per year). It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace. For many years, Reader's Digest was the best-selling consumer magazine in the United States, losing in 2009 to Better Homes and Gardens. Per Mediamark Research, it reaches more readers with household incomes of $100, 000+ than Fortune, Wall Street Journal, Business Week and Inc. combined. Global editions of Reader's Digest reach an additional 40 million people in more than 70 countries, with 49 editions in 21 languages. It has a global circulation of 10.5 million, making it the largest paid circulation magazine in the world. It is published in Braille, digital, audio, and a version in large type called Reader's Digest Large Print. The magazine is compact, with its pages roughly half the size of most American magazines'. Hence, in 2005, the U.S. edition adopted the slogan, "America in your pocket." In January 2008, it was changed to "Life well shared." Derived from a Kirkus review: A former RD managing editor traces the rise and fall of the service magazine that became America's social mirror and later a rich orphan for profiteers. Wisely, Canning centers this story on the magazine's founders: Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace. As young adults, each followed idealistic paths: she doing social mission work, he aiming to publish a magazine that would get at ``the nub of things''— The Reader's Digest. Months after their marriage in 1921, they published the first issue; 15 years later, despite the Depression, they reached nearly two million households. Yet chinks in the armor appeared. WW II brought a new relationship with US intelligence that would continue for decades and affect articles and even editors. By the late 1930s, the marriage eroded; there were never to be natural children (a result of his WW I wound), but arguments over their ``child'' RD abounded. Still, circulation and an empire of magazine, sweepstakes, and condensed books grew. Not until the Wallaces' age necessitated the formation of a group of directors did the essential mission of the magazine fall. Philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller, who had pet plans for the Wallace money, salesmen-executives who felt marketing RD was like selling any product, and lawyer Barney McHenry, who sought control, comprised the team that funneled two-thirds of Wallace funds ($2.5 billion) to largely non-Wallace purposes. Under them and their hires, tens of hundreds of RD workers were fired, forced to sell stock, or denied pensions. Symbolically, the ashes of the deceased Wallace (d. 1981) and Lila (d. 1984) were dumped unceremoniously, not dusted over their rose garden, as they had desired. Insider that he is, Canning reports the RD demise with anger, sadness, and contempt, which, supported with diligent research and strong storytelling (the RD way), makes for heartfelt and believable reading.
Add this copy of American Dreamers the Wallaces and the Reader's Digest: to cart. $65.18, very good condition, Sold by RARE BOOK CELLAR rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pomona, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Simon & Schuster.
Add this copy of American Dreamers: the Wallaces and the Reader's Digest to cart. $72.38, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Simon & Schuster.
