Lewis H. Lapham
Encyclopedia
Lewis H. Lapham is an American
writer
. He was the editor of the American
monthly Harper's Magazine
from 1976 until 1981, and from 1983 until 2006. He also is the founder of the eponymous publication about history and literature entitled Lapham's Quarterly
. He has written numerous books on politics and current affairs.
and Jane Foster, Lapham was born and grew up in San Francisco
. His grandfather Roger Lapham
was mayor
of San Francisco, and his great grandfather Lewis Lapham
was a founder of Texaco
. Through his grandfather, Lapham is a first cousin once removed of actor Christopher Lloyd
.
Lapham was educated at the Hotchkiss School
, Yale University
, where he joined the literary society St. Anthony Hall
, and Magdalene College, Cambridge
.
In 1972, Lapham married Joan Brooke Reeves, the daughter of Edward J. Reeves, a stockbroker and grocery heir, and Elizabeth M. Brooke (formerly the wife of Thomas Wilton Phipps, a nephew of Nancy Astor). They have three children:
Lapham wrote a September 2004 column for Harper's in which he included a brief account of the Republican National Convention
as if the event had already happened and he had witnessed it, "reflecting on the content and sharing with readers a question that occurred to him as he listened," as Jennifer Senior wrote in The New York Times Book Review
. But the magazine arrived in subscribers’ mailboxes before the convention had actually taken place, as Senior says "forcing Lapham to admit that the scene was a fiction." The columnist apologized, "but pointed out political conventions are drearily scripted anyway — he basically knew what was going to be said." Senior continues, "By this logic, though, I could have chosen not to read Pretensions to Empire before reviewing it, since I already knew Lapham’s sensibility, just as he claims to know the Republicans’." It was later pointed out that, while Senior had said that the Lapham essay in question was "conspicuously" missing from Pretensions to Empire, an edited version of that essay actually leads the book. The New York Times
published a correction and Senior described her error as "an honest mistake."
from 1976 to 2006 (with a hiatus from 1981 to 1983). He was managing editor from 1971 to 1975, after having worked for the San Francisco Examiner and New York Herald Tribune
. He is largely responsible for the modern look and prominence of the magazine, having introduced many of its signature features including its famed Harper's Index. He announced that he would become editor emeritus in Spring 2006, continuing to write his Notebook column for the magazine as well as editing a new journal about history, Lapham's Quarterly
. Lapham has also worked with the PEN American Center
, sitting on the board of judges for the PEN/Newman's Own Award. In 2007, he was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame.
His writing has appeared in The American Conservative
Life, Commentary
, Vanity Fair, National Review
, Yale Literary Magazine, ELLE
, Fortune
, Forbes
, American Spectator, The New York Times
, The Walrus
, Maclean's
, The Observer
(London
), and the Wall Street Journal. Lapham also served as a judge for the PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award
.
Lapham is the host and author of the PBS series, America's Century, and he was host of the weekly PBS series, Bookmark.
Lapham is currently the host of The World in Time: radio discussions with scholars and historians on Bloomberg Radio that open the doors of history behind the events in the news. Podcasts of the weekly talks are available at Bloomberg.com.
Lapham wrote The American Ruling Class
(2005), a movie done in documentary style and featuring fictional characters and real people, i.e. Bill Bradley
, Hodding Carter III
and Barbara Ehrenreich
, author of Nickel and Dimed
, pondering the question "is there a ruling class in America?" Lapham states at the movie's conclusion that "if you're not in, you're out." The movie aired on the Sundance Channel, July 30, 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He was the editor of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
monthly Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
from 1976 until 1981, and from 1983 until 2006. He also is the founder of the eponymous publication about history and literature entitled Lapham's Quarterly
Lapham's Quarterly
Lapham's Quarterly is a literary magazine founded in 2007 by former Harper's Magazine editor Lewis H. Lapham. Each issue examines a theme using primary source material from history. The inaugural issue "States of War" contained dozens of essays, speeches, and excerpts from historical authors...
. He has written numerous books on politics and current affairs.
Personal life
A son of Lewis A. LaphamLewis A. Lapham
Lewis Abbot Lapham was an American shipping and banking executive.Lapham was born in New York City, the son of shipping executive and future Mayor of San Francisco Roger D. Lapham and the grandson of Lewis Henry Lapham. Lapham attended the Hotchkiss School and went on to Yale University,...
and Jane Foster, Lapham was born and grew up in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. His grandfather Roger Lapham
Roger Lapham
Roger Dearborn Lapham was a shipowner and businessman who served as the 32nd mayor of San Francisco from 1944 to 1948.-Life and career:...
was mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of San Francisco, and his great grandfather Lewis Lapham
Lewis Lapham
Lewis Henry Lapham was an American entrepreneur who made a fortune consolidating smaller business in the leather industry. He was also one of the founders of Texaco Oil Company....
was a founder of Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
. Through his grandfather, Lapham is a first cousin once removed of actor Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
.
Lapham was educated at the Hotchkiss School
Hotchkiss School
The Hotchkiss School is an independent, coeducational American college preparatory boarding school located in Lakeville, Connecticut. Founded in 1891, the school enrolls students in grades 9 through 12 and a small number of postgraduates...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he joined the literary society St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall, also known as Saint Anthony Hall and The Order of St. Anthony, is a national college literary society also known as the Fraternity of Delta Psi at colleges in the United States of America. St...
, and Magdalene College, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
In 1972, Lapham married Joan Brooke Reeves, the daughter of Edward J. Reeves, a stockbroker and grocery heir, and Elizabeth M. Brooke (formerly the wife of Thomas Wilton Phipps, a nephew of Nancy Astor). They have three children:
- Delphina (married Prince Don Bante Maria Boncompagni-Ludovisi)
- Andrew (married Caroline Mulroney, a daughter of former CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Prime MinisterPrime Minister of CanadaThe Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Brian MulroneyBrian MulroneyMartin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
) - Winston
Lapham wrote a September 2004 column for Harper's in which he included a brief account of the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
as if the event had already happened and he had witnessed it, "reflecting on the content and sharing with readers a question that occurred to him as he listened," as Jennifer Senior wrote in The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
. But the magazine arrived in subscribers’ mailboxes before the convention had actually taken place, as Senior says "forcing Lapham to admit that the scene was a fiction." The columnist apologized, "but pointed out political conventions are drearily scripted anyway — he basically knew what was going to be said." Senior continues, "By this logic, though, I could have chosen not to read Pretensions to Empire before reviewing it, since I already knew Lapham’s sensibility, just as he claims to know the Republicans’." It was later pointed out that, while Senior had said that the Lapham essay in question was "conspicuously" missing from Pretensions to Empire, an edited version of that essay actually leads the book. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
published a correction and Senior described her error as "an honest mistake."
Harper's Magazine
Lewis Lapham served as editor of Harper's MagazineHarper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
from 1976 to 2006 (with a hiatus from 1981 to 1983). He was managing editor from 1971 to 1975, after having worked for the San Francisco Examiner and New York Herald Tribune
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
. He is largely responsible for the modern look and prominence of the magazine, having introduced many of its signature features including its famed Harper's Index. He announced that he would become editor emeritus in Spring 2006, continuing to write his Notebook column for the magazine as well as editing a new journal about history, Lapham's Quarterly
Lapham's Quarterly
Lapham's Quarterly is a literary magazine founded in 2007 by former Harper's Magazine editor Lewis H. Lapham. Each issue examines a theme using primary source material from history. The inaugural issue "States of War" contained dozens of essays, speeches, and excerpts from historical authors...
. Lapham has also worked with the PEN American Center
PEN American Center
PEN American Center , founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. The Center has a membership of 3,300 writers, editors, and translators...
, sitting on the board of judges for the PEN/Newman's Own Award. In 2007, he was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame.
Works
- Fortune's Child 1980; ISBN 0-385-14887-9
- Money and Class in America 1988; ISBN 1-55584-109-0
- Imperial Masquerade 1990; ISBN 1-55584-449-9 (hardcover); ISBN 0-517-11018-0
- The Wish for Kings: Democracy at Bay 1993; ISBN 0-8021-1446-6
- Hotel America 1995; ISBN 1-85984-952-0 (hardcover); ISBN 1-85984-062-0 (paperback)
- Waiting for the Barbarians 1997; ISBN 1-85984-882-6
- Lapham's Rules of Influence 1999; ISBN 0-679-42605-1
- The Agony of Mammon 1999; ISBN 1-85984-710-2
- Lights, Camera, Democracy! 2001; ISBN 0-679-64713-9; ISBN 0-8129-9162-1
- Theater of War 2003; ISBN 1-56584-772-5 (hardcover); ISBN 1-56584-847-0 (paperback)
- 30 Satires (a collection of essays) 2003; ISBN 1-56584-846-2
- Gag Rule 2004; ISBN 1-59420-017-3
- With the Beatles 2005; (Melville House PublishingMelville House PublishingMelville House Publishing is an independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 by the husband and wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey, a location Johnson jokingly called "the Left Bank" of New York City...
); ISBN 978-0-976658-32-0 - Pretensions to Empire: Notes on the Criminal Folly of the Bush Administration, by Lewis H. Lapham (The New Press: 2006), 288 pages; ISBN 1-59558-112-X
His writing has appeared in The American Conservative
The American Conservative
The American Conservative is a monthly U.S. opinion magazine published by Ron Unz. Its first editor was Scott McConnell, his successors being Kara Hopkins and the present incumbent, Daniel McCarthy....
Life, Commentary
Commentary (magazine)
Commentary is a monthly American magazine on politics, Judaism, social and cultural issues. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee in 1945. By 1960 its editor was Norman Podhoretz, a liberal at the time who moved sharply to the right in the 1970s and 1980s becoming a strong voice for the...
, Vanity Fair, National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, Yale Literary Magazine, ELLE
Elle
Elle may refer to:*Elle, Central African Republic*Elle , a fashion publication*Ellé, a river in France*Elle , a female given name*Elle , a Sri Lankan game similar to baseball*Ælle of Sussex, a Saxon king...
, Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, American Spectator, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Walrus
The Walrus
The Walrus is a Canadian general interest magazine which publishes long form journalism on Canadian and international affairs, along with fiction and poetry by Canadian writers. It launched in September 2003, as an attempt to create a Canadian equivalent to American magazines such as Harper's, The...
, Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
(London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), and the Wall Street Journal. Lapham also served as a judge for the PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award
PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award
The PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award was presented each spring to a U.S. resident who has fought courageously, despite adversity, to safeguard the First Amendment right to freedom of expression as it applies to the written word. Sponsored by PEN American Center and Newman's Own, a cash prize...
.
Lapham is the host and author of the PBS series, America's Century, and he was host of the weekly PBS series, Bookmark.
Lapham is currently the host of The World in Time: radio discussions with scholars and historians on Bloomberg Radio that open the doors of history behind the events in the news. Podcasts of the weekly talks are available at Bloomberg.com.
Lapham wrote The American Ruling Class
The American Ruling Class
The American Ruling Class is a dramatic documentary film written by Lewis H. Lapham and directed by John Kirby that "explores our country’s most taboo topic: class, power and privilege in our nominally democratic republic." It seeks to answer the question, "Does America have a ruling class?" Its...
(2005), a movie done in documentary style and featuring fictional characters and real people, i.e. Bill Bradley
Bill Bradley
William Warren "Bill" Bradley is an American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, and former three-term Democratic U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party's nomination for President in the 2000 election.Bradley was born and raised in a suburb of St....
, Hodding Carter III
Hodding Carter III
Hodding Carter, III , is an American journalist and politician best known for his role as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs in the Jimmy Carter administration.-Biography:...
and Barbara Ehrenreich
Barbara Ehrenreich
-Early life:Ehrenreich was born Barbara Alexander to Isabelle Oxley and Ben Howes Alexander in Butte, Montana, which she describes as then being "a bustling, brawling, blue collar mining town."...
, author of Nickel and Dimed
Nickel and Dimed
Nickel and Dimed: On Getting By in America is a book written by Barbara Ehrenreich. Written from the perspective of the undercover journalist, it sets out to investigate the impact of the 1996 welfare reform act on the "working poor" in the United States...
, pondering the question "is there a ruling class in America?" Lapham states at the movie's conclusion that "if you're not in, you're out." The movie aired on the Sundance Channel, July 30, 2007.