The Last Editor: How I Saved the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times from Dullness and Complacency

The innovative newspaper editor chronicles his storied career in this memoir, featuring sidebars from the like of Tom Wolfe, Katherine Graham, and more.

The Last Editor is the memoir of Jim Bellows, the editor whose David-and-Goliath battles changed the face of the newspaper business. Bellows struggled to save major competitors of America’s three most powerful newspapers: the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. In doing so, he developed major talent from rough cuts and brought a new generation of writers to the mainstream press.

The Last Editor is a unique memoir of a man who loved a fight—highlighted with commentary from his colleagues in letters and sidebars from the biggest names in media. Sidebars from Tom Wolfe, Ben Bradlee, Art Buchwald, Katherine Graham, Mary McGrory, William Safire, just to name a few, and 16 pages of black-and-white photos, provide behind-the-scenes insights to the triumphs and controversies of the man who shaped the industry.

“This is a lively, engaging recollection of the glory days of newspapers with amusing stories of the fabled men and women of journalism at a time when many American cities supported at least two newspapers.” —Booklist

© 2011 Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (Ebook): 9781449413224

Release date

Ebook: 11 May 2011