
Fame-Dropping
Five Decades of Encounters with the Eminent
James C. Humes(Author)
Hamilton Books (Publisher)
Published on 18. January 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
218 pages
978-0-7618-7079-1 (ISBN)
Description
Fame-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 Gielgud at the bar for cocktails, dine in Washington with McGovern's Hollywood supporter Shirley MacLaine, and find out what the guests found hanging in Pamela Harriman's powder room.
At once intimate and grounded in a historian's wider perspectives, Fame-Dropping invites you to come closer and listen in, as you take a whirlwind tour of world events with the man who was welcomed everywhere.
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 Gielgud at the bar for cocktails, dine in Washington with McGovern's Hollywood supporter Shirley MacLaine, and find out what the guests found hanging in Pamela Harriman's powder room.
At once intimate and grounded in a historian's wider perspectives, Fame-Dropping invites you to come closer and listen in, as you take a whirlwind tour of world events with the man who was welcomed everywhere.
Reviews / Votes
James 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, authorMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Lanham, MD
United States
Publishing group
University Press of America
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
365 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7618-7079-1 (9780761870791)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
01/2019
1st Edition
Hamilton Books
€27.49
Available for download

E-Book
01/2019
1st Edition
Hamilton Books
€27.49
Available for download
Person
James C. Humes has written speeches for Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, George H. W. Bush, and Reagan. He has practiced the art of public speaking as an attorney, lecturer, diplomat, and Pennsylvania state legislator.
Content
Introduction
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
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