Description
Book SynopsisFame-Dropping is a bit like name-dropping, but when your guide is historian James C. Humes, you can expect something more than just trivial details about celebrities. A former White House speechwriter and Pennsylvania state legislator, the author commands powers of persuasion that have opened doors into the lives of the world's most influential men and women.Fame-Dropping zooms in for a close-up while offering you a front-row seat for viewing history's big picture. Rich with insight, and told in a lively, self-deprecating style, this book contains tales of a gregarious ghostwriter who has met countless notables from star performers to those who wield power behind the scenes, in Hollywood, Washington, and beyond. Learn, laugh, and enjoy with a well-traveled political junkie and Churchill biographer as he witnesses Richard Nixon's informal side, dances with a young and radiant Queen Elizabeth II, and watches Margaret Thatcher tear up a speech he'd just written. Come and join Sir John Gi
Trade ReviewJames C. Humes is the Samuel Pepys of insider portraiture, specializing in presidents, prime ministers, senators, political writers, members of the British royal family, and other historic personages he has encountered. As a White House speechwriter, Humes knew everyone in and around Washington. In the UK, he conversed with Winston Churchill, and is so well liked by the British establishment that he was awarded a medal making him an honorary member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Fame Dropping is a connoisseur’s gem of elegant writing, insightful perceptions, and sagacious judgments. -- Jonathan Aitken, British Cabinet minister and Nixon biographer
I loved this book and read it with the speed of a hot knife through butter. Jamie’s sizing-up of the “eminents” he has encountered in his lifetime makes you wish he had been around since the days of Adam and Eve. This book is a historical treasure. -- Warren Adler, author
Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: The White House Chapter 2: Capitol Hill Chapter 3: State House Chapter 4: State Department Chapter 5: City Hall Chapter 6: Buckingham Palace Chapter 7: Parliament Chapter 8: Library Chapter 9: Hollywood Chapter 10: Stadium Chapter 11: Press Box Chapter 12: Pentagon Chapter 13: Foreign Capitals Chapter 14: Courthouse Chapter 15: Church Chapter 16: Art Gallery Chapter 17: Lyceum Bibliography About the Author Index of Names
