cover image Inside: The Biography of John Gunther

Inside: The Biography of John Gunther

Ken Cuthbertson. Bonus Books, $22.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-929387-70-3

John Gunther (1901-1970) wanted to be a great novelist, but instead is remembered for his bestselling Inside series ( Inside Europe ; Inside U.S.A. ). The legwork and care that he devoted to his reportage are meticulously described in this well-paced, sympathetic, diligently researched biography by Canadian reporter Cuthbertson. Despite a successful career as a journalist and an enviably eventful life spent traveling, Gunther endured the deaths of his infant daughter and his 17-year-old son (whom he memorialized in Death Be Not Proud ). Charming, gregarious and popular with women, he entered into many liaisons which ended his first marriage, to Frances Powell Fineman; Cuthbertson presents their marital difficulties from Gunther's point of view. The biographer is more objective about his subject's writing, acknowledging that Gunther, although painstaking in his pursuit, could not always overcome his biases. Photos not seen by PW. (June)