''The Selling of the President 1968'' is a 1969 book by American author

Joe McGinniss Joseph Ralph McGinniss Sr. (December 9, 1942 – March 10, 2014) was an American non-fiction writer and novelist. The author of twelve books, he first came to prominence with the best-selling ''The Selling of the President 1968'' which describe ...

. It was published by Trident Press in October, 1969. The title is a play on the Making of the President books by

Theodore White Theodore Harold White (, May 6, 1915 – May 15, 1986) was an American political journalist and historian, known for his reporting from China during World War II and the ''Making of the President'' series. White started his career reporting for ...

. The book describes the marketing of

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

during the 1968 presidential campaign. It has been described as "a classic of political journalism" and a "classic of campaign reporting that first introduced many readers to the stage-managed world of political theater." It was reprinted in 1988 under the title ''The Selling of the President''. McGinniss became an overnight success when the book, his first, landed on ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' bestseller list. He was 26 years old, making him the youngest living writer with that achievement. The book was on the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' non-fiction bestseller list for 31 weeks from October 1969 to May 1970. The idea for the book came to McGinniss almost serendipitously:

estumbled across his book’s topic while taking a train to New York. A fellow commuter, had just landed the
Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...
account and was boasting that 'in six weeks we’ll have him looking better than
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
.' McGinniss tried to get access to Humphrey’s campaign first, but they turned him down. So he called up Nixon’s, and they said yes.".

After becoming a staff White House reporter McGinnis had full access to Richard Nixon. The book is written as a first hand account of the taping of television ads for the 1968 Presidential Campaign. It gives a first hand account of Roger Ailes' marketing genius along with some colorful language used by Nixon. The book was very well received by both critics and the public. It "spent more than six months on best-sellers lists, and McGinniss sold a lot of those books through television, appearing on the titular shows of

Merv Griffin Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 he hosted his own ta ...

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ' ...

and

Dick Cavett Richard Alva Cavett (; born November 19, 1936) is an American television personality and former talk show host. He appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States for five decades, from the 1960s through the 2000s. In ...

, among others." Conservative writer

William F. Buckley William Frank Buckley Jr. (born William Francis Buckley; November 24, 1925 – February 27, 2008) was an American public intellectual, conservative author and political commentator. In 1955, he founded ''National Review'', the magazine that stim ...

"assumed McGinniss had relied on 'an elaborate deception which has brought joy and hope to the Nixon-haters.' But even Buckley liked the book." In 1972, the book was adapted into a short-lived Broadway musical.The Selling of the President
The Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 2012-04-03.

Editions

''The Selling of the President 1968'', Oct. 1969, New York:Trident Press (Simon & Schuster). 253 pp. ''The Selling of the President 1968'', Oct. 1970, PocketBooks (Simon & Schuster). SBN 671-78036-0, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 77-92157 ''The Selling of the President'', 1988 reprint, with new introduction by author, New York:Penguin Books. 272 pp.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selling Of The President 1968 1969 non-fiction books American non-fiction books American political books Books about Richard Nixon English-language books Non-fiction books about elections Simon & Schuster books