My Paper Chase by Harold Evans

My Paper Chase Reviews

• 
  judy

  It's tricky to rate this book. Evans is an editorial legend in journalistic and literary circles so, of course, he can write. He started in newspapers in hot type days and worked his way from small dailies in Northern England to editor of the Sunday and London Times. This is the bulk of the story. Although he came to the US around 1981 and became the publisher of Random House et. al., his time on this side of the pond is neglected. Bottom line--unless you're a journalist, very familiar with Britain and your memory goes back to world events between 1945 and 1981, you may not be intrigued. Evans is a brilliant newsman and editor but he is not a story teller. If you're looking for his marriage to Tina Brown and their life as possibly THE publishing power couple, go to the last 50 pages. There needs to be a book on their incredible life together but hopefully Tina will write it and Harry will edit.
• 
  Gaby

  Harold Evans' My Paper Chase: True Stories of Vanished Times appears a bit intimidating at first, if only because of the breadth, depth, and heft of it. But Harold Evans' writing flows, I found myself thoroughly engrossed. Born in 1928 from working class parents, Evans became a reporter at sixteen. His natural ability, drive, tenacity, and nose for a good story led him not just to excel in his field but to take on unrecognized and unpopular causes and to sway public opinion. One of the book's greatest strengths is the extent to which Evans gives us the background and context for each of the events or stories that he shares.
  
  At the start, Evans delves into his own background. His father had little formal education but was a genius at numbers. For instance, if you named a date whether it was 25 years ago or just a few months, his father could unerringly identify which day of the week it was. He worked his way up at the railway, beginning as an engine cleaner to the position of driver. His ability to calculate how much a person's wages would be, taking into account the different wage scales, overtime, deductions, and irregular hours, was recognized in his company's accounting staff and won him the gratitude and affection of his colleagues at the railway. Evans points out that in England at that time, his father's mathematical abilities, even coupled with hard work, would not have afforded him better opportunities because of "the Geddes axe." Sir Eric Geddes, a.k.a. Lord Inchcape, a Minister of the Crown and the former manager of the North Eastern Railway Company, had a strong contempt for the abilities of the working class. In his committee's examination of the expenditure of public funds, he advised against giving secondary school education to poor children, "children whose mental capabilities do not justify it" - essentially consigning an entire generation to very limited prospects.
  
  Evans' generation were given the opportunity to advance through a limited number of scholarships granted to ex-servicemen by the Ministry of Education, through the Butler Education Act in Great Britain. The Butler Act was a more restrictive version of the G.I. Bill but it paid for Evans' university education.
  
  Evans shares what it was like to work in the early newsrooms, where typewriters, typesetters, scissors, spikes, and paste were critical tools of the trade. In the chapter Stop Press, Evans shares what it was like as a young "copy taster" managing the coverage of the unfolding of the Harrow-Wealdstone disaster - a train crash that quickly became a collision of three trains with 75 dead and 110 feared dead for Manchester Evening News. He managed, edited, revised, and published eight editions in six hours, without the help of computers.
  
  Evans' projects range from battling air pollution to helping improve overseas newspapers, to beautifying Manchester to exposing the cause of the deadliest DC-10 air crash and uncovering one of the largest health scandals in the century.
  
  I wish that I'd gotten this review out earlier to help people who might be looking for a good book whether for themselves or their loved ones. I found it fascinating - it's a book that I'll enjoy rereading at leisure.
  
  Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (November 5, 2009), 592 pages.
  Review copy provided by the publisher.
  
• 
  Cynthia

  An amazing guy who presents his life story with grace and brevity and humility. I felt like I learned a lot about the newspaper industry that I can actually apply to my own job at my little dinky weekly community newspaper. I learned a lot about history and people (fascinating description of his complex relationship with Rupert Murdoch, and also an eyewitness description of the famous confrontation with the unions at Wapping, one of the all-time great journalism war stories). He dealt also with his relationship with Tina Brown in a way that was honest, kind to his ex-wife, and really pretty romantic.
• 
  Rebecca

  I really need to stop picking up huge autobio tombs. While this book had many many many pages, at least the font was huge and the way the author wrote his story was very much like Chris Plummer, so the story flew. Man grew up in the UK to become editor of the countries biggest new papers and how things have changed since then. He lives in New York now (of course) and works for online media and oh how the times have changed! He talked a bit about his personal life as a child and his parents, but not too much about his personal life as an adult, which was nice. He mainly concentrated on work and certain big stories that his papers wrote about and the controversy they kicked up. Instead of obsessing over the details the book really had only a few main, big stories that the author wrote about in detail, but left all the little things out. So each long chapter was like a story in itself, which is another reason I didn't hate the book. I like details on small things, but not too many things in one book.
  
  This book concentrated very heavily on publishing and how things have changed since like the 1950's, so only pick up if you are interested in this topic. Otherwise, don't bother.
  
• 
  Bridget

  I'm a huge fan of memoirs. I love to read about someone else's life. My Paper Chase tells the story of Howard Evans who ran a newspaper and the struggles he faced daily. He charged on even when there was a chance that the newspaper would lose it's place in the world.
  
  This was a very interesting book that allows you to look back in time and understand that nothing comes easy and everything has a price.
• 
  Christy Stewart

  A book about a man I don't know, a world I don't know, and an age I don't know; so, needless to say it was all news to me. Interesting book, even to one such as I who isn't interested in journalism. The problem was the book wasn't written like a story, or written like one was telling a story, but more like commentary on a story.
• 
  Lee

  This was an entertaining read, and one I would never have picked up myself had it not been recommended to me by my father. My Paper Chase is a memoir by writer, newspaper man, and publisher Harold Evans. As a journalist and editor, Mr. Evans had a front row seat to all the major historical events in The United Kingdom and around the world from the 1960s through the 1990s. This book gave me an appreciation for the incredibly hard, and sometimes dangerous, work of newspaper editors who approach their jobs with integrity and a desire to be as honest as possible.
• 
  Darla Ebert

  A lot of (unnecessary) details and statistics, some people will like that. I wanted more personal information. I learned a lot about journalism in Great Britain, beginning with the mid-1940's when Harold Evans began his first job with the newspaper. That was period was a cutting-edge point in history as World War 2 was coming to its conclusion and so from thereon out the news just seemed to get more and more unpredictable and explosive. Though Evans passed away in September of 2020 at the age of 92, he had a good long run.
• 
  Kari

  Journalist Harold Evans' memoir My Paper Chase: True Stories of Vanished Times sat on my bookshelf waiting to be read for months. And I've been mulling over its review for almost as long (meaning a few days). At first glance, this looks like an intimidating read—600 pages about journalism by a journalist...OH BOY. You think, "Is this going to put me to sleep? Is it going to be a political rant? Or is Evans just gonna ramble his way through the decades?" And if he sucks at writing, you might as well give up before you begin.
  
  Luckily, none of these things happen. First of all, this isn't an autobiography. The distinction I have recently made between autobiography and memoir is that an autobiography will focus on a whole life (probably starting with "I was born here, and my parents did this, and I went to school there") while a memoir has more of a focus—usually the author's experience with something much bigger than him. In this case, Evans tells us about his life with journalism.
  
  Evans was born in 1928 in the English countryside and decided early on that he wanted to be a journalist. He got his first job as a newspaper reporter at sixteen, and his drive, ability, and understanding of the profession led him quickly through the ranks. Evans is a Renaissance man of sorts—in his 60+ year career, his titles have included editor of the Sunday Times, editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report, the founding editor of Condé Nast Traveler, and president and publisher of Random House (just to name a few).
  
  One of the book's strongest points is the detail with which Evans tells his stories. How can an 80-year-old man possibly remember all that he remembers? [Oh right, he's a journalist. He probably wrote it all down:]. He flavors the major time periods of his professional life with the stories that defined them. During his tenure at The Northern Echo, he campaigned for preventative tests for cervical cancer; The Sunday Times gave him the most action, including a major campaign for the British Thalidomide Children, the investigation of a Soviet spy, the unsolved murder of a Times reporter, and the eventual clash with Rupert Murdoch; his life in the U.S. led him to new industries and a new relationship with publishing power Tina Brown.
  
  Evans does such a great job of storytelling within a frame of context that I always understood the importance of what he was saying, despite my lack of existence during about 80% of the book's timeframe. You can tell he knows how to write, and he writes in a way that keeps people interested. I was never bored, and he's never bogged down by his words. For a book about a man I'd never heard of, I was pleasantly surprised by how engrossed I was in his story. This is a book that will make me feel cool to have on my shelf in 30 years and say, "Yes, I read it."
• 
  Kerry

  After studying and working in journalism and media the last decade or so, this seemed to have a natural allure for me. If anything to see from the other side of the glass. In this day and age we're all becoming vastly more aware that the art of journalism has become cheapened. A mere battle of who releases it first, not with the truth and integrity of the story being at the forefront.
  
  So, I pick this book up Mr. Evans with the hopes that you can remind me of what journalism at least was if its not going to be again. Bc in all parts of human history the reporter, storyteller, messenger, etc. all hold a very important place within society. They shape societies ideals and opinions with just the choice of words they use in the depiction of the faction they are describing.
  
  Indeed, in his opening chapter, Evans regales about how the press wasn't dignified while he grew up in its relaying of what was happening while England was at war. But as he says it didn't sway him from the industry, but rather encouraged him to change it to one of dignity in search of truth. Oh where have those days gone? (Likely to the same place my beloved Crystal Pepsi did).
  
  Evans' youth is really what set his course in his life, from realizing the disillusionment that England had for Churchill because of the press' sentiments to his fathers thoughts on Stalin. While a bit verbose at times, can one really get upset with a newsman who has likely had to cut words from his work the majority of his life that when he can finally cut free he rants a bit wild? Not this kid.
  
  The only time I do find it a bit irksome is that it can get a bit boring. I mean I surely understand that he came of age in a very huge time within world history but how is it possible that while describing his home being bombed by German warplanes I nearly fell asleep?! C'mon now Evans, you're better than that. Hook the reader Krammit!
  
  While I can't admit that the book really enraptured me its quotes such as "I aspired to be a journalist partly because I thought good journalism could identify the consequences of the use of power or the failure to use it for the common good" reminded me of why I was curious about Evans' life in the first place. It is sadly a rare thing to find such dignity in journalism. All in all it gives you some hope for the future of journalism (not much with the rate TMZ.com is growing) but it's not going to have you by the edge of your seat...
• 
  Peter

  #owch #whoeverispumpinglowfrequencynoisethroughthewallsatnightpleasestopdoingthatthankyou
• 
  Nina

  My Paper Chase is a fascinating read. Evans’ rich detail provides the back-story to many of the key international events of the 20th century. His book is far more than a memoir; it is a chronicle of the evolution of journalism depicted through the lens of his career.
  
  The era of handset metal type and stories filed without the aid of cell phones and computers comes alive through Evans’ skillful narration. He is a consummate storyteller who gives enough background to provide context, yet the book never bogs down. His writing is tight, polished, and conversational, with graceful transitions between events.
  
  Evans pioneered investigative reporting during his tenure as editor of the Sunday Times. This was a major advance for journalists in Britain, a country long without freedom of the press, where the government traditionally censored newspapers. In 1993 Evans became an American citizen and transitioned to the publishing industry as president of Random House.
  
• 
  Christine

  It was no surprise that a journalist and newspaper editor would write a fine book.
  
  I liked the first half of the autobiography best, in which Evans describes his home life, struggles in wartime Britian, his battle to gain a university education and his rising career in newspapers. Many fascinating insights are given to the role of journalism in exposing such scandals as the treatment of thalidomide victims. Although the writing has plenty of pace, the book is dense with facts, names and dates to the extent that I found it in places rather a weighty read. This had a lot to do, I suspect, with not reading it in big enough chunks. Dipping in and out of it was unsatisfactory.
  
  Evans's passion for the truth is inspirational and I learned much about the role that newspapers played in the agendas of several decades.
• 
  Susan

  I recall Harold Evans from his early days on Granada TV and always found him so likeable. This memoir is impressive, taking us from growing up in Manchester (with a very obvious high regard for his hard working mother and father, an engine driver), his first job as a rookie reporter, first editorship on the "Northern Echo" in Darlington and his move to London on "The Times" and Sunday Times". This is a very detailed read, recounting issues such as the campaign to get compensation for thalidomide victims, spy scandals, confrontation with the unions on modernization, battles with Rupert Murdoch and finally finding a new angle to his career in the States. The emphasis was very much on his working life - not his personal one, and I liked that. A fascinating account of how journalism changed over the decades and the headlines that dominated the news.
• 
  Janice Durante

  With newspapers threatened by decreased ad revenue, this is the perfect time to ponder their value in a democracy and in the world. Harold Evans has written a personal and often fascinating memoir, recounting his working-class childhood and his eventual climb to editor of both the famous Sunday Times and The Times of London. Why does hard-hitting, investigative journalism matter? Consider the crucial nature of cases cracked by reporters at those papers: from spy scandals to the true cause of one of the world's deadliest air crashes; from the shocking oppression in Northern Ireland to the horrendous thalidomide tragedy. Evans' career encompassed a paper chase fueled by the "raw integrity of truth."
  Can we really afford NOT to pay for newspapers?
• 
  Kristennicole

  I see a lot of (presumably non-Brit) readers are thrown off by Evans' political tales but this was his area of expertise and is integral to his bio. I enjoy learning about other cultures, especially their political impact, from firsthand stories such as Evans', and very much appreciate the lessons found in the book.
  
  Besides that, it's a well-written memoir, especially for someone in the journalism field, or interested in learning the evolution of this communication medium over several generations.
• 
  Catherine Woodman

  I did not love this book, even though I wanted to. he is one of the legendary editors of a newspaper--a hero of his time, and belonging to a bygone era--and maybe what I should have done is read his book about that--but instead, in this one, he throws in his divorce (which he tells nothing about--why not skip it) and his post-Sunday Times life--which he tells us almost nothing about--just that it was grand--what? Hard to believe, and harder to believe given the rest of the book--so why go there? All said, this is good but not great.
• 
  Michelle

  Almost gave this a 4, but couldn't convince myself. This was about a newspaperman. It's about what makes good journalism and a good newspaper. Evans had me totally involved in some chapters, and just skimming others. The news he's telling about is British, and none of it I remember personally, most from before the 80's. I did think it interesting in his many examples, how an editor and the journalists can influence public opinion, and set the wheels in motion for reform.
• 
  Barbara

  The book was OK but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I were a Brit. I am not familiar with the workings of the British government and it's effect on journalism and I feel some background information would have been helpful prior to reading. I was also not familiar with some of the events recorded, so felt left in the dark. Of course, none of this is not the author's fault but it did affect my enjoyment of the book.
• 
  S2 Mc

  Rags to riches story of British journalist who went from editing major paper in the UK to publications, including Random House, in the U.S. Insight into the Philby spy case, labor unions' perfidy, and changes in UK laws regarding journalism important role in uncovering real storylines when incidents become court cases. Liberal-leaning subject but principled journalist in keeping with ethics and guiding role of the press.
• 
  Kathryn

  This book took a long time to read -- talk about hefty. The problems with the book were problems with my ignorance, not his writing. I don't know that much about British politics or what was happening during that timeperiod. But it was still intereting and engrossing. I especially liked learning how a newspaper used to run -- definitly not for the faint-hearted. I suppose it still isn't...
• 
  Jeroen Kraan

  Quite long-winded, but mostly interesting. The earlier chapters on Evans' childhood could have been a lot more brief, to clear up more space for the interesting chapter on his issues with the print unions and Rupert Murdoch. As with most autobiographies, the author is obviously rather fond of himself, but you have to admire the marvellous things he did, especially as editor of the Sunday Times.
• 
  Katherine

  This book is incredibly well-written and describes the ins and outs of the newspaper industry and investigative reporting at the time. There are also parts where the author chronicles most of his journey through life, which I found tremendously inspiring.
• 
  Esther

  I enjoyed this book, primarily because as a fellow journalist, I'm always fascinated with stories about journalism as it used to be and yet sometimes it also makes me sad that it has changed so much.