THESE two studies of America's most-hated millionaire supply ample ammunition for the prosecution. They are both thoroughly documented and reasonably calm in tone but their respective indictments of Hearst are not to be lightly put aside.

Carlson and Bates

Willy Hearst's father was the rough-and-tumble, rich Senator George Hearst of California. His mother was the sentimental feminist Phebe Apperson. Carlson and Bates explain the strange and infamous history of the journalist-capitalist son as the natural product of Hearst's incongruous mental and physical inheritance and his luxurious, irresponsible and spoiled childhood environment. He is a man, who, like his father, has the ability of acquisitiveness developed to an astonishingly high degree but in many other respects has just never grown up. His insane longing for power over the destiny of America, his absurd tirades against teachers and professors, his utterly inconsistent record in political affairs of being now a fiery liberal now a cold-blooded reactionary, are outgrowths of his earliest impulses which he has never tried to master because he has always had money enough and power enough to indulge his slightest whim. This is the explanation as given us in "Hearst, Lord of San Simeon", which treats Hearst the man.

Lundberg

Lundberg's "Imperial Hearst" is concerned primarily with Hearst as a public menace. In the account of Hearst's various enterprises and villainies in politics, journalism and finance, Lundberg skimps Hearst as an individual in favor of detailing his "imperial" record as it is, and as it should be placed before every American. Hearst's part in the Spanish-American War, his political ventures with and without the help of Tammany, his record as an employer, his vagaries in the realm of ideal political thought--which after attempts at all possible sides of the matter are now rushing him inevitably toward Fascism; these are some of Lundberg's main topics.

Board's Preface

Taken together the two books supplement each other nicely. I would suggest the following order of reading them: 1. Lundberg's "Imperial Hearst" (the subject matter without the preface) 2. Carlson and Bate's "Hearst, Lord of San Simeon (ALL) 3. Professor Charles A. Beard's Preface to the Lundberg volume. The last mentioned is one of the finest bits of vitriolic writing the reviewer has seen. It should not be read before the account of Hearst's life and works which the two recent studies provide, because it may seem unnecessarily rough on the old man. It is only after you are thoroughly acquainted with Hearst's character and career through the medium of these volumes that you can truly enjoy this masterpiece.