show bio Sam Tanenhaus

Sam Tanenhaus is an American author, historian, and biographer. Mr. Tanenhaus received his B.A. in English from Grinnell College in 1977 and his M.A. in English Literature from Yale University in 1978.

Mr. Tanenhaus was an assistant editor at "The New York Times" from 1997 to 1999 and a contributing editor at "Vanity Fair" from 1999 until 2004. Since 2004, he has been the senior editor of "The New York Times Book Review."

His 1997 biography of Whittaker Chambers won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography.

The Death of Conservatism
Date: 9/17/2009

"New York Times Book Review" editor Sam Tanenhaus discusses his new book, "The Death of Conservatism," which argues that today’s conservative party has lost its way and needs to rediscover its roots. Drawing on 20 years of research on modern conservatism, Mr. Tanenhaus offers a panoramic view of today’s politics as well as new interpretations of figures from Dwight Eisenhower and Joseph McCarthy to Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush.

Related Lectures

  • image
  • image
  • image
  • image
  • image