“A thoughtful and deservedly acclaimed meditation on the decade which, in 1974, finally brought the American Constitutional system to the edge of breakdown.” —Foreign Affairs

“The remarkable achievements of this book are its fairness, its attention to details, and its capacity to put the bewildering complexities of these years into some kind of meaningful historical perspective. . . . If there is a better or more thoughtful and compassionate book on this whole bewildering tragedy, I don't know what it is.” —James Reston

“By persuasively connecting the Nixon years to the larger dilemmas of our time, Mr. Schell has elevated a shabby political story to the level of tragedy. And one closes his deeply intelligent book not with feelings of vindication or outrage, but with a sense of understanding and equanimity that only tragedy can evoke.” —Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times
Jonathan Schell was born in 1943 in New York City. He graduated from the Putney School in Vermont and magna cum laude from Harvard University, where he majored in Far Eastern history and wrote for the Harvard Crimson. He learned Japanese and travelled widely while enrolled in the Graduate School of International Christian University in Tokyo, JapanSchell was the Harold Willens Peace Fellow at the Nation Institute. He died in 2014.   View titles by Jonathan Schell

About

“A thoughtful and deservedly acclaimed meditation on the decade which, in 1974, finally brought the American Constitutional system to the edge of breakdown.” —Foreign Affairs

“The remarkable achievements of this book are its fairness, its attention to details, and its capacity to put the bewildering complexities of these years into some kind of meaningful historical perspective. . . . If there is a better or more thoughtful and compassionate book on this whole bewildering tragedy, I don't know what it is.” —James Reston

“By persuasively connecting the Nixon years to the larger dilemmas of our time, Mr. Schell has elevated a shabby political story to the level of tragedy. And one closes his deeply intelligent book not with feelings of vindication or outrage, but with a sense of understanding and equanimity that only tragedy can evoke.” —Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

Author

Jonathan Schell was born in 1943 in New York City. He graduated from the Putney School in Vermont and magna cum laude from Harvard University, where he majored in Far Eastern history and wrote for the Harvard Crimson. He learned Japanese and travelled widely while enrolled in the Graduate School of International Christian University in Tokyo, JapanSchell was the Harold Willens Peace Fellow at the Nation Institute. He died in 2014.   View titles by Jonathan Schell

Three Penguin Random House Authors Win Pulitzer Prizes

On Monday, May 5, three Penguin Random House authors were honored with a Pulitzer Prize. Established in 1917, the Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious awards in American letters. To date, PRH has 143 Pulitzer Prize winners, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Josh Steinbeck, Ron Chernow, Anne Applebaum, Colson Whitehead, and many more. Take a look at our 2025 Pulitzer Prize

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. Pride Month is a time to both celebrate the accomplishments of those in the LGBTQ+ community and recognize the ongoing struggles faced by many across the world who wish to live

Read more