William Manchester Captures Tumultuous 20th Century in eBook Trio

William Manchester, the celebrated biographer and historian, recorded real lives and events in a prose style that keeps the reader fully engaged. RosettaBooks has now made three of the bestselling author's well-known works available for download as eBooks.

"Nobody has the storytelling power of William Manchester to make history come alive for readers the way he does," said Arthur Klebanoff, CEO of RosettaBooks. "We are delighted to bring these selections to our digital reading audience."

A friend of President John F. Kennedy, Manchester wrote the intimate portrait The Death of a President. The historian reflects on crafting the celebrated tribute to the assassinated president in his essay Controversy. The title piece of his compilation book, Controversy: And Other Essays in Journalism 1950-1975, reveals the details of his struggle with Jackie Kennedy to get the account published.

"A work of love, even passion," said Gore Vidal of the original piece. "Mr. Manchester's final telling of the death of Kennedy is most moving; it is also less controversial than one had been lead to believe by those who read the original manuscript."

While working as a journalist at The Baltimore Sun, Manchester met H.L. Mencken, the influential writer and co-founder of magazines The American Mercury and The Smart Set. Later, Manchester made Mencken the subject of his Master's thesis while attending the University of Missouri. The "conservative anarchist," as Mencken was known, provided Manchester with compelling material, and The Life and Riotous Times of H.L. Mencken helped to establish William Manchester's reputation when it was released in 1951.

According to The New Yorker review, "Manchester's book is written with verve, intellectual sophistication, and a prickly wit worthy of its eminent subject... [The Life and Riotous Times of H.L. Mencken] performs a considerable service for American intellectual history. It is, besides, a first-class piece of literate entertainment."

The Glory and the Dream records the dramatic times in American history between 1932 and 1972. The revered historian takes readers behind-the-scenes for surprisingly intimate accounts of the most exciting events during that period of history. From World War II to the Bay of Pigs to Vietnam, Manchester engages readers with compelling details and fascinating examples of bravery and bravado.

"There is no fiction that can compete with good, gossipy, anecdotal history-the inside story of who said or did what in moments of great tension or crisis," said Anatole Broyard of Manchester's work. "I think you ought to read this history and weep, read it and laugh, read it and don't repeat it."

William Manchester (1922-2004) was a journalist, Professor of History Emeritus at Wesleyan University, and the best-selling author of several noted histories and biographies, including The Last Lion, a biography of Winston Churchill spanning several volumes; American Caesar, on the life of Douglas MacArthur; The Arms of Krupp, A World Lit Only By Fire, and The Death of a President. His awards include the Dag Hammarskjold International Literary Prize, the National Humanities Medal, the Abraham Lincoln Literary Award, and the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award.

About RosettaBooks:

RosettaBooks is the leading independent digital publisher. Its prominent author collections include 52 works of Winston Churchill, 35 titles by renowned science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, 20 works by Kurt Vonnegut, 12 titles from international bestselling business author Stephen R. Covey and 18 works by Robert Graves, celebrated 20th century English poet, critic, and author of I, Claudius and Claudius, the God. RosettaBooks also publishes eBook lines in collaboration with AARP, Harvard Health Publications and Mayo Clinic. Publisher of ten Kindle Singles, including Ray Bradbury's The Playground, RosettaBooks has launched nine of them to bestseller status. RosettaBooks is an Inc. 500 company, on the exclusive list of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. For more information, please visit RosettaBooks.com and follow the e-publisher on Facebook.