“1960 aims to take us deeper into the campaign than Theodore White’s famous The Making of the President, 1960. And it does.” —Chicago Sun-Times

“Terrific!” —Robert A. Caro, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes and the National Book Award

Award-winning historian David Pietrusza’s hard-edged account of the 1960 Presidential Campaign—the bare-knuckle politics of the primaries, the party conventions’ backroom dealings, the unprecedented television debates, along with hot-button issues of race, religion, and foreign policy. And, at the center of it all, three future presidents—LBJ, JFK, and Nixon.

It was the election that ultimately gave America “Camelot” and its tragic aftermath. 1960 is a stunning recreation of the bare-knuckle politics of the primaries, the party conventions’ backroom dealings, the unprecedented television debates, along with hot-button issues of race, religion, and foreign policy. And, at the center of it all, three future presidents—Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon.

In this essential work of history, David Pietrusza chronicles 1960’s struggle for power by bringing to life its towering events and personalities, unlocking its secrets, and turning expert scholarship into rich, human storytelling.

“A stirring, hard-edged political saga… An outstanding reexamination.” —Booklist

“1960 provides new insights into that year’s hard-fought, pivotal election, but, more than that, 1960 is great storytelling—a fascinating, can’t-put-it-down account of how American politics really works.” —Former United States Attorney General Richard Thornburgh

“Pietrusza’s 1960 is essential for understanding the political forces that in many ways shaped the world we live in today.” —David Mark, journalist, political analyst, and author of Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning