Their's Was the Kingdom

Here for the first time is the behind-the-scenes account of one of the greatest American success stories of this century. Second only to the Bible in its worldwide readership and, many would say, influence, the Reader's Digest has been the prime exemplar and exporter of middle-brow American culture to millions of readers for the past seven decades. The Digest's story and that of its founders DeWitt and Lila Wallace is a complex tale, replete with unforgettable. Characters, corporate infighting, geopolitical intrigue, and old-fashioned values - the last honored as much in the breach as in the observance in the hothouse atmosphere of Digest headquarters in Westchester County, New York. John Heidenry's rich narrative takes the Digest from the early years of this century when DeWitt Wallace (Wally to his friends) and his bride Lila - both PKs (or Preacher's Kids) born and reared in rural America - founded the magazine, through its. Rapid rise over seventy years. DeWitt was without doubt the single most successful publisher in the history of the magazine business, starting with less and ending with more than anyone else - ever. With infinite largesse, the Digest attracted the talents of such famous writers as James Michener and Alex Haley and used their work to rocket the circulation to the stratosphere. In the process RD also came to wield a great deal of political influence. It was a powerful. Factor in the elections of Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan - and indirectly, ironically, of Kennedy. Along with Time magazine it fired the first volleys of the Cold War and was among its most ardent proponents. And it had an intimate relationship with the CIA. In addition to the culture and politics of the Digest, John Heidenry chronicles its marketing and business genius - a story that has also never been fully told. Immediately after the Second World War it became the. Most successful global publisher of magazines. It rewrote the rules for direct mail, becoming the proprietor of the world's largest mailing list. After branching into book publishing it became the largest global marketer of books as well. Theirs Was the Kingdom is a masterful synthesis of biography and cultural, social, and business history.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.