Thomas Harding's The Maverick: George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing, the utterly absorbing biography of publishing legend (Arthur) George Weidenfeld, is a treasure trove of publishing history from both sides of the Atlantic. Weidenfeld was an unlikely tastemaker, arriving in the U.K. as a Jewish refugee from Austria fleeing the Nazis after the Anschluss. Through connections and with conviction and courage, he managed to start his own publishing house, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, and positioned himself at the very heart of the publishing revolution of the 20th century, in part by taking on the U.K.'s indecency laws with works such as the iconic Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Group by Mary McCarthy, and books by Isaiah Berlin, Joan Didion, J.D. Salinger, and Henry Kissinger. Chapters bear the titles of works Weidenfeld published or--in the case of Mick Jagger--failed to publish, with Harding providing the full scope of the political and social context of the time.
Harding (The House by the Lake; Hanns and Rudolf) deftly complements the well-known stories of these prominent authors and their works with colorful behind-the-scenes testimonials and insights into the strategic and tactical aspects of the publishing world. He also shares a frank and intimate look at Weidenfeld's personal life, including his several marriages and his ascent into the loftiest realms of both London and New York society. No less captivating were his friendships, including a lifelong relationship with one-time United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim. Harding's book is a frank and entertaining portrait of a tireless and enterprising publishing maverick whose influence changed what and how we read. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.