The Path to Power

“Proof that we live in a great age of biography . . . [a book] of radiant excellence . . . Caro’s evocation of the Texas Hill Country, his elaboration of Johnson’s unsleeping ambition, his understanding of how politics actually works are—let it be said flat out—at the summit of American historical writing.” —The Washington Post

“A monumental political saga . . . powerful and stirring. It’s an overwhelming experience to read The Path to Power.” —Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

“Epic. A brief review cannot convey the depth, range and detail of this fascinating story. Caro is a meticulous historian. Every page reflects his herculean efforts to break through the banalities and the falsehoods previously woven around the life of Lyndon Johnson . . . combines the social scientist’s interest in power with the historian’s concern with theme and context, the political scientist’s interest in system, and the novelist’s passion to reveal the inner workings of the personality and relate them to great human issues . . . A monument of interpretive biography.” —Michael R. Beschloss, Chicago Sun-Times Book Week

“Not only a historical but a literary event. An epic biography . . . A sweeping, richly detailed portrait . . . vivid [with] Caro’s astonishing concern for the humanity of his characters. An awesome achievement.” —Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek

“Stands at the pinnacle of the biographical art.” —Donald R. Morris, Houston Post

“The major biography of recent years. Brilliant . . . Magisterial . . . Caro has given us an American life of compelling fascination. A benchmark beside which other biographies will be measured for some time to come.” —Alden Whitman, Los Angeles Herald Examiner

“An ineradicable likeness of an American giant. Caro has brought to life a young man so believable and unforgettable that we can hear his heartbeat and touch him. If an earlier famous Johnson had his Boswell, and Abraham Lincoln his Sandburg, LBJ has found a portraitist who similarly will owe his fame to his great subject and his certitude in taking control of it.” —Henry F. Graff, Professor of History, Columbia University

“Splendid and moving. At this rate Caro’s work will eventually acquire Gibbon-like dimensions, and Gibbon-like passion. . . . Caro is a phenomenon . . . an artful writer, with a remarkable power to evoke and characterize politicians, landscapes, relationships. This massive book is almost continually exciting.” —Richard Eder, Los Angeles Times

“By every measure—depth of research, brilliance of conception, the seamless flow of the prose—it is a masterpiece of biography.” —Dan Cryer, Newsday

“Extraordinary. A powerful, absorbing, at times awe-inspiring, and often deeply alarming story. A vivid picture of the emergence of one of this century’s authentically great politicians.” —Alan Brinkley, Boston Sunday Globe

“The book races at Johnson’s own whirlwind pace. A tour de force that blends relentless detective work, polemical vigor and artful storytelling into the most compelling narrative of American political life since All the King’s Men.” —Henry Mayer, San Francisco Chronicle

“A landmark in American political biography. The definitive life of LBJ. Caro has written a Johnson biography that is richer and fuller and may well be one of the freshest and most revealing studies ever written about a major historical figure.” —Steve Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Magnificent. For understanding our recent past and the men and policies that brought the country to its present condition and aimed us toward whatever our future is to be, it’s an immensely important work.” —Bryan Woolley, Dallas Times Herald

“A brilliant and necessary book. There are whole and fascinating areas in Johnson’s life that no one else discovered.” —Merle Miller, front page, Chicago Tribune Book World

“This is a watershed book. Caro writes with sweep and passion. From the first sentence I was hooked. All other biographies of Johnson pale in comparison.” —Joseph P. Lash

“Engrossing and revealing. This fascinating, immensely long and highly readable book is the fullest account we have—and are ever likely to have—of the early years of LBJ.” —David Herbert Donald, front page, The New York Times Book Review

“A superb and unique biography . . . Meticulous in research, grand in scale, this is a major work that will remain a tower of its kind.” —Barbara Tuchman