Robert A. Caro’s The Power Broker is finally getting an e-book edition.
Alfred A. Knopf will release an electronic edition of the author’s iconic biography, the press announced in a news release. The publication of the e-book is tied to the book’s 50th anniversary.
Caro’s book, published in 1974 by Knopf, is an account of the life and career of Robert Moses, the influential New York city planner. The book won a Pulitzer Prize and has remained popular over the past five decades; it became something of a Zoom status symbol during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Caro said that he wanted an e-book edition of The Power Broker “that would have fidelity to the physical book.”
“I wanted it done because if you’ve learned some things about political power that you think are worth knowing, you’d like as many readers as possible to know them,” he said. “And with so many readers now doing their reading digitally, an e-book is essential. Thankfully, technology advanced to a point that allowed linking of the notes, which should enhance the digital reading experience.”
Knopf publisher and editor-in-chief Jordan Pavlin said, “No book has had a greater impact on our understanding of political power than The Power Broker, and no biographer has captivated the imagination of his readers with greater artistry than Robert Caro. At once magisterial and intimate, The Power Broker is a feat of storytelling and American history on a singular scale, truly one of the great books of our time. It is thrilling to imagine a generation of new readers falling under the spell of Caro’s essential work in its new form.”
The e-book edition of The Power Broker will be released on Sept. 16.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
