A good, long profile of author Robert Caro, in which he reveals that he’s written 951 pages of the fifth (and final) installment of his series of books on LBJ — but also that he’s “not nearly done”.
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If anyone is looking for more Caro, I really enjoyed his interview on Conan's podcast in 2019.
I have only the last episode of the 99 P.I. breakdown of 'The Power Broker' podcast to go. It's been fantastic. I don't want it to end. I can't stop talking about it. https://99percentinvisible.org/club
I read the Power Broker along with 99% invisible last year (I even got the I Finished the Power Broker mug at the NY Historical Society). No chance I read the LBJ bios. I kind of wish they could release the extended Power Broker. They cut a lot from the end. All the Jane Jacobs stuff and whatnot
Caro and his editor Robert Gottlieb had to cut something like 350,000 words from the original Power Broker manuscript. Awhile back, a friend of mine introduced me to Caro's publicist and I pitched her on releasing the missing pieces. She put me off by saying he needed to work on the Johnson book but didn't rule it out. It could be the job of a graduate student or independent editor to find everything and piece it together. We can always hope.
And for even more Caro, Turn Every Page is a great look at his relationship with editor Robert Gottlieb. Seems to be available for rent on verious platforms. Caro is a gotdang national treasure the likes of which we may never have again.
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