THE WORLD SHE EDITED

A multifaceted portrait of influential New Yorker fiction editor Katharine S. White (1892-1977).

The storied origins of the New Yorker, established in 1925 by Harold Ross, have been extensively chronicled, including by several books delving into the lives of its idiosyncratic editors. Though initially envisioned as a sophisticated exploration of New York's vibrant cultural landscape, the magazine earned a literary reputation that soared under White's stewardship from 1925 to 1960, gaining renown for publishing serious fiction and poetry. Despite joining Ross shortly after its inception, White's considerable contributions have not received enough recognition. In this captivating new biography, Reading, author of The Mark Inside, finally shines a well-deserved spotlight on White's remarkable career, portraying her as a modern woman whose early feminist roots traced to her college years at Bryn Mawr. White's keen instinct for talent, discovery of several women writers and others at the start of their careers (Kay Boyle, Janet Flanner, and Elizabeth Bishop, among others), and profound understanding of the marketplace and educated women's evolving roles distinguished the magazine for decades. Its “early successes,” writes the author, “were due to the efforts of feminist women who interpreted the magazine’s obsession with sophistication in a way guaranteed to appeal to readers like themselves—educated, active participants in the city’s cultural life.” White's personal life was equally fascinating and progressive, as revealed through Reading's nuanced, discerning portrait of the disintegration of her 14-year marriage to Ernest Angell (parent to esteemed New Yorker writer Roger Angell) and the ludicrous hurdles to divorce she confronted. Her subsequent marriage to E.B. White, one of her staff writers and seven years her junior, would endure for the next 48 years, and Reading’s portrayal of E.B. is additionally compelling.

An entertaining and expansive study of a pioneering literary editor and the era that shaped her legendary tenure.