The Age of Anxiety: McCarthyism to Terrorism

Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.; A James H. Silberman Book, 2005. xii, 609 pages, [8] pages of plates, illustrations; 24 cm. Tight, clean copy. Stated First edition. Dust jacket protected in a mylar cover. A fine copy of the first printing. "For five long years in the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy and his anti-Communist crusade dominated the American scene, terrified politicians, and destroyed the lives of thousands of our citizens. In this masterful history, Haynes Johnson re-creates that time of crisis-of President Eisenhower, who hated McCarthy but would not attack him; of the Republican senators who cynically used McCarthy to win their own elections; of Edward R. Murrow, whose courageous TV broadcast began McCarthy's downfall; and of mild-mannered lawyer Joseph Welch, who finally shamed McCarthy into silence. Johnson tells this monumental story through the lens of its relevance to our own time, when fear again affects American behavior and attitudes, for he believes now, as then, that our civil liberties, our Constitution, and our nation are at stake as we confront the ever more difficult task of balancing the need for national security with that of personal liberty. Compelling narrative history, insightful political commentary, and intimate personal remembrance combine to make The Age of Anxiety a vitally important book for our time. / HAYNES JOHNSON, a Pulitzer Prize- winning journalist, is the author of five national bestsellers, including his last, The Best of Times, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He has been a reporter, editor, and columnist for the Washington Post and a commentator for the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and the Today show. He lives in Washington, D.C." - Publisher.. 1st. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. 8vo. Collectible.