The Chief
eBook - ePub

The Chief

The Life of Lord Northcliffe Britain's Greatest Press Baron

  1. 400 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Chief

The Life of Lord Northcliffe Britain's Greatest Press Baron

About this book

'Superb...his pages fizz with character and colour' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times
'Scholarly and very readable' Andrew Lycett, Spectator
'Energetic and hugely entertaining' A.N.Wilson, TLS


The definitive biography of Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, the first and greatest press magnate in history and the genius who invented modern popular journalism.

The turn of the century was a period when the world was opening up in new and exciting ways – radio, telegrams, the advent of flight. With literacy and the right to vote extending across an ever-expanding populace, politics and journalism were embarking on a power struggle that continues unabated to this day. Lord Northcliffe rose to the challenges of this new world by employing cutting-edge technology, upending the outdated mores of traditional journalism and radically reshaping the very concept of ‘news’.

He was a tough and uncompromising businessman, frequently levelled with charges of megalomania, but in The Chief Andrew Roberts puts Northcliffe’s ruthlessness in the context of a life of visionary business skill, journalistic brilliance, distinguished wartime public service and heartfelt patriotism. The man was, undoubtedly, a genius – albeit a flawed one. From a modest background, growing up on the outskirts of Dublin, by twenty-seven he presided over a magazine empire with the largest circulation in the world. By the time of his tragically early death in 1922, Northcliffe had founded the Daily Mail and Daily Mirror, and had also owned The Times and the Observer. At one point he owned two thirds of all the titles on Fleet Street.

Based on exclusive access to the Harmsworth family archive, The Chief charts Lord Northcliffe’s rise to power and his highly controversial influence in a politically critical period. His influence still resonates today both through his remarkable business innovations and in the way we consume our news and politics.

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Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Harmsworth Family Tree
  5. Introduction
  6. Chapter 1: Youth: July 1865–March 1886
  7. Chapter 2: ‘Schemo Magnifico’: March 1886–December 1891
  8. Chapter 3: ‘The Gospel of Loyalty to the Empire’: February 1892–April 1896
  9. Chapter 4: ‘We’ve Struck a Goldmine’: The ‘Daily Mail’: April 1896–July 1899
  10. Chapter 5: ‘We Believe in England’: The Boer War: April 1899–May 1902
  11. Chapter 6: The ‘Mirror’ and a Mystery Woman: August 1902–November 1904
  12. Chapter 7: Liberal Dawn: May 1905–December 1907
  13. Chapter 8: Taking ‘The Times’: January–March 1908
  14. Chapter 9: ‘Der Tag Will Come’: The German Threat: April 1908–December 1909
  15. Chapter 10: Consolidating Control at ‘The Times’: December 1909–November 1911
  16. Chapter 11: The Road to War: November 1911–July 1914
  17. Chapter 12: ‘The Angel of Death is Abroad’: August–December 1914
  18. Chapter 13: The Shells Scandal: January–May 1915
  19. Chapter 14: Gallipoli and Conscription: May 1915–May 1916
  20. Chapter 15: Dethroning Mr Asquith: May–December 1916
  21. Chapter 16: The British War Mission: June–October 1917
  22. Chapter 17: ‘I Watch These People Vigilantly’: November 1917–January 1918
  23. Chapter 18: Propaganda in Enemy Countries: February–September 1918
  24. Chapter 19: The Rift with Lloyd George: October 1918–April 1919
  25. Chapter 20: Pursuing the Vendetta: April 1919–July 1921
  26. Chapter 21: The World Tour: July 1921–February 1922
  27. Chapter 22: Degeneration: February–May 1922
  28. Chapter 23: Death: June–August 1922
  29. Conclusion: The Napoleon of Fleet Street
  30. Photographs
  31. Acknowledgements
  32. Notes
  33. Bibliography
  34. Index
  35. Copyright