I wonder if anyone has been reading through Robert Caro's multi-volume bio of LBJ. When Dallek's first of two volumes came out, there was a lot of comparson, and I threw in my lot with Dallek and enjoyed and learned a lot from his two-volume set (the description of the 1948 election was epic).

Now Caro's third volume "master of the Senate" is out and I'm considering getting it. But before I make the personal commitment to read an 1152 page tome I wanted to hear anyone's opinion, especially anyone who has read Caro's earlier books and/or the Dallek pair - thanks!!

I just tossed out the _Washington Post_ article on Caro that ran in the April 25th edition of that paper. It is too old to appear in the online search, which goes back only to May 1. I checked already.

Part 1 of the Caro series was the best biography I've ever read. Part 2 wasn't as good, but Part 3 has gotten mostly raves and I will read it.

i've been a fan of robert caro since i read
"the power broker" - his biography of robert moses. his subsequent volumes on LBJ shine a light on a very complex and fascinating personality. i haven't read the latest volume but i'm sure it is consistent with the others. i agree with jim that volume 2 isn't equal to volume 1.
i recommend the book on robert moses - it chronicles the evolution of an idealistic reformer/city planner who controlled almost all bridges, highways, ferries, subways, and park development in new york for decades and withstood efforts from many mayors and governors to oust him. many of new york's greatest achievements and mistakes in parks and transportation were the result of his manipulation of power.

Liked the first two volumes of Caro's work and am looking forward to picking up the new book--LBJ's Senate years provide a treasure trove of material--a person who revelled in wielding power in his natural environment (to over-simplify.)

~Adam

I'm certainly hoping Caro doesn't die before finishing Part 4, which takes us from 1960 to LBJ's death. That's the one I'm most interested in. Read 2 excerpts in the New Yorker from the new book and was quite impressed. Caro is a very graceful writer.

I haven't read Caro's volumes but I do want to check them out. I did read the "New Yorker"'s piece on the book--and the man, who sounds positively Machiavellian, though I think Nixon has to rank as one of the scariest individuals we as a nation have ever put in office.

I highly recommend the McCullough biography of John Adams, as well as Louis Menand's Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Metaphysical Club," which explores the birth of pragmatism in the post-Civil War Cambridge, Massachusetts millieu. William James (and the James family, including Henry), Oliver Wendell Holmes, Charles Sanders Peirce, Alexander Agassiz, John Dewey, Alain Locke and many others make their appearances--it's fascinating to think how great the influence of these thinkers was on our various social, political and cultural institutions.