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Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 1 | [Robert A. Caro]
Play Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 1

Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 1

  • UNABRIDGED | view abridged
  • by Robert A. Caro
  • Narrated by Grover Gardner
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  • Regular Price :$34.60
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  • Average Customer Rating
  • Overall
    (235)
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    (115)
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  • LENGTH
    18 hrs and 41 mins
  • RELEASE DATE
    08-01-05
  • AUDIO FORMATS
    About Audio Formats
    2 3 4 Enhanced Audio
 

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Publisher's Summary

Master of the Senate carries Lyndon Johnson's story through one of its most remarkable periods: his 12 years, from 1949 to 1960, in the United States Senate. Once the most august and revered body in politics, by the time Johnson arrived the Senate had become a parody of itself and an obstacle that for decades had blocked desperately needed liberal legislation. Caro shows how Johnson's brilliance, charm, and ruthlessness enabled him to become the youngest and most powerful Majority Leader in history and how he used his incomparable legislative genius, cajoling and threatening both Northern liberals and Southern conservatives, to pass the first Civil Rights legislation since Reconstruction. Brilliantly weaving rich detail into a gripping narrative, Caro gives us both a galvanizing portrait of Johnson himself and a definitive and revelatory study of the workings of legislative power.

This is Volume 1. Don't forget to listen to Master of the Senate, Volume 2 and Volume 3.

©2002 Robert A. Caro, Inc.; (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.

What the Critics Say

  • Pulitzer Prize Winner, Biography or Autobiography, 2003

"Mesmerizing....A tale rife with drama and hypnotic in the telling." (Newsweek)
"A panoramic study....Combining the best techniques of investigative reporting with majestic storytelling ability, Caro has created a vivid, revelatory institutional history as well as a rich hologram of Johnson's character." (The New York Times)
"Caro must be America's greatest living Presidential biographer....No other contemporary biographer offers such a complex picture of the forces driving an American politician, or populates his work with such vividly drawn secondary characters." (BusinessWeek)

What Members Say

Average Customer Rating

4.6 (235 ratings)
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4.6 (115 ratings)
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Performance
  •  
    Jeff Pickering, Ontario, Canada 05-18-12
    Jeff Pickering, Ontario, Canada 05-18-12 Member Since 2007

    50yrs old / audible member for 5 yrs library. 75% nonfiction, 15% classics and 10% fiction. History/Science/biography/Eng.18th cent fiction

    HELPFUL VOTES
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    "DROP JAW AMAZING!!"

    This is the most popular book of the multi book johnson bio. Unfortunately many of the other books have yet to come to audible which is kind of unbelievable to me !! I cant rate this book highly enough. Its content is so incendiary and insightful, and the outstanding quality of the writing will spoil you. You will surly want to check out Caro's other masterpiece after this called THE POWER BROKER . These 2 books are truly must reads .
    There is one thing that is very wrong with this book and it bothers me greatly. it's that your paying 3 credits in the end for 1 book. This dividing books into volumes is a sneaky and unfortunately encroaching method of drawing out more of your credits than you may be fully aware of. This book isn't THAT long to fairly divide it up into ``volumes`` nor are many of the other books this has been increasingly done to.
    So lets call a spade a spade, Its a three credit book o.k.` I see Mcculloughs latest unabridged offerings are offered as 3 credit books with no shell game. those of us that spend freakishly long hours on this site have noticed this recent move to increase the credits for books in the above manners and more. email them and tell them this 3 credit crap is to much!! Thats at least $30 for 1 book! When it comes to that, its worth getting them from the library for free. I love this site, I have over 900 titles, The reason I keep spending all this money is because it has been good value. Theres no longer any point in continuing when so many of the titles double or triple in price.If their testing the waters to see what they can get away with,,the result will be the permanent loss of their most ardent subscribers.

    9 of 9 people found this review helpful
  •  
    Susan Salt Lake City, UT United States 01-17-06
    Susan Salt Lake City, UT United States 01-17-06 Member Since 2005

    slc_reader

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    "Must"

    anyone interested in history, civil rights, politics, or psychology.
    The author does a great job showing the good, the bad and the ugly about LBJ, how government works, and ourselves. This title covers the 12 years Johnson was in the Senate and it is fascinating. There is a great history of the Senate to preface how Johnson changed it. It was so interesting to hear how the issues which were shaping the country played out in the halls of power. And after nearly 60 hours of listening I still can't figure him out. I also loved the reader. To me a good reader is one I'm totally unaware of. No phony accents or inappropriate inflections. I hope Audible gets the unabridged versions of the first two volumes of this work. I want more. I've wanted to read the series for years but never found the time. You don't need to read them in order, the author gives you what you need from the prior books to put these events into context. Loved it.

    8 of 8 people found this review helpful
  •  
    Beth Glen Ridge, NJ, United States 06-23-07
    Beth Glen Ridge, NJ, United States 06-23-07 Member Since 2001

    I am a voracious reader with fairly eclectic taste. I like both fiction and non-fiction, biography, history and current events. I like well written mysteries and suspense and I love 19th and 20th century classical literature as well as modern fiction. My favorite author is Philip Roth but I also love Trollope, Hardy, Jonathan Franzen, Jane Austen and Edith Wharton. My favorite biographer is Robert Caro.

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    "Fascinating Biography!"

    Of all of the audiobooks I have heard over the past five or ten years that I have been listening to them, Robert Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson--of which 'MASTER OF THE SENATE' is the third volume--is without a doubt the most interesting and worthwhile.

    Well-narrated, but above all, well researched and written so well as to command attention and create suspense better than most novels, I have never enjoyed any series of audiobooks more.

    This particular volume focuses on Johnson's Senate career and in particular his passage of the Civil Rights Voting Act.

    I cannot more highly recommend an audiobook than I do all of the volumes of this biography.

    6 of 6 people found this review helpful
  •  
    Ron Boca Raton, FL, United States 10-23-09
    Ron Boca Raton, FL, United States 10-23-09 Member Since 2004
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    "Caro deliver's again"

    Robert Caro's "The Power Broker" was one of my favorite books. In spite of that, I was always hesitant to read Master of the Senate because of its sheer volume. "And who cares that much about Lyndon Johnson", I thought. Well, it was my loss. This is a spectacular book with a truly insightful reading by Grover Gardner. This is not just the story of Lyndon Johnson, it is the story of the Senate, and some gems of history, like the story of Leland Olds and Lyndon Johnson, that are as gripping as a novel. There were times during this book when I wanted to reach into the page and strangle Lyndon Johnson, and times when I thought he was the best thing the Senate has ever seen. This may be a long listen, but you won't be bored for a moment. One of the best books I've ever listened to. Having read this, I'm now disappointed that the first collection, "The Rise To Power" and the last one, "The Presidential Years", are not on tape.

    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
  •  
    Thomas chapel hill, NC, United States 08-09-07
    Thomas chapel hill, NC, United States 08-09-07 Member Since 2006
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    "TOM"

    Very good book. I especially like the beginning with a history of the Senate. It really gives you a new look on how this body has evolved over the years. The reading is excellent. However, anyone who says these volumes are not long is seriously mistaken. There is about 4 hours of material on the Johnson hearings about Truman's nomination of Leland Olds for the national utilities commission. You can easily leave for an hour and come back an not miss much at all.

    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
  •  
    Marc Houston, TX, USA 06-23-07
    Marc Houston, TX, USA 06-23-07
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    "Great Book"

    This is a great book. I have listened to many non-fiction titles on Audible and this is one of the most gripping.

    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
  •  
    Scott A. MacMillan -- Corus Interactive Toronto, ON Canada 05-24-07
    Scott A. MacMillan -- Corus Interactive Toronto, ON Canada 05-24-07 Listener Since 2004
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    "Incredible Biographer"

    Caro makes this biography of LBJ as riveting as a fictional, political thriller. Despite the length of the audio, I could not stop listening until it was done. Caro has written 2 other LBJ biographies, as well as a biography of Robert Moses that I wish were available as audio programs. As soon as they are, I'll be getting them. Note: the narrator is excellent as well - very easy to listen to.

    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
  •  
    Frances Eugene, OR, United States 08-20-12
    Frances Eugene, OR, United States 08-20-12 Member Since 2003
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    "LBJ was not a nice man"

    This book tells you everything you've ever wanted to know about the Senate. While this is the third volume of Caro's exhaustive biography of Johnson, it works well as a stand alone volume. Caro is a painstaking researcher and his attention to detail is impressive.

    The reader, Grover Gardner, is wonderful as always.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  •  
    Nick Prescott, AZ, United States 10-09-12
    Nick Prescott, AZ, United States 10-09-12 Member Since 2009
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    "A reader shouldn't be required to write a headline"
    Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

    Yes. The story is enlightening and superbly documented


    What other book might you compare Master of the Senate to and why?

    Is this a class?


    Which character – as performed by Grover Gardner – was your favorite?

    The character of an irritated customer that just wanted to give a rating... like say five stars


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    That's quite personal


    Any additional comments?

    Why can't I just rate the book

    2 of 3 people found this review helpful
  •  
    William Wheat Ridge, CO, United States 05-17-13
    William Wheat Ridge, CO, United States 05-17-13
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    "You should listen to this..."

    The most striking biography I've listened to/read. It presents a brilliant nuanced picture of perhaps the most brillant, contradictory politician in American history. Caro has an incredible knowledge and understanding of LBJ and his time period. He also writes grandly and beautifully.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
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