SKU: 21394882959

Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He Built

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Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He BuiltA NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE The "exhilarating" (The Boston Globe) story of the legendary Random House founder, whose seemingly charmed life at the apogee of the American Century afforded him a front row seat to literary and cultural history in the making"[A] big, beautiful biography . . . There's a new Power Broker in town." The New York Times "Feldman depicts a lost world, at times a lost paradise, when New York, Hollywood and the

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE - The "exhilarating" (The Boston Globe) story of the legendary Random House founder, whose seemingly charmed life at the apogee of the American Century afforded him a front-row seat to literary and cultural history in the making

"[A] big, beautiful biography . . . There's a new Power Broker in town."--The New York Times

"Feldman depicts a lost world, at times a lost paradise, when New York, Hollywood and the literary life were at their most glamorous and privileged."--The Washington Post

At midcentury, everyone knew Bennett Cerf: witty, beloved, middle-aged panelist on What's My Line? whom TV brought into America's homes each week. But they didn't know that the handsome, driven, paradoxical young man of the 1920s had vowed to become a great publisher and, a decade later, was. By then, he'd signed Eugene O'Neill, Gertrude Stein, and William Faulkner, and had fought the landmark censorship case that gave Americans the freedom to read James Joyce's Ulysses.

With his best friend and lifelong business partner Donald Klopfer, and other young Jewish entrepreneurs like the Knopfs and Simon & Schuster, Cerf remade the book business: what was published, and how. In 1925, he and Klopfer bought the Modern Library and turned it into an institution, then founded Random House, which eventually became a home to Truman Capote, Ralph Ellison, Ayn Rand, Dr. Seuss, Toni Morrison, James Michener, and many more.

Even before TV, Cerf was a bestselling author and columnist as well as publisher; the show super-charged his celebrity, bringing fame--but also criticism. A brilliant social networker and major influencer before such terms existed, he connected books to Broadway, TV, Hollywood, and politics. A fervent democratizer, he published "high," "low," and wide, and from the Roaring Twenties to the Swinging Sixties collected an incredible array of friends, from George Gershwin to Frank Sinatra, having a fabulous time along the way.

Using interviews with more than two hundred individuals, deeply researched archival material, and letters from private collections not previously available, this book brings Bennett Cerf to vibrant life, drawing book lovers into his world, finally laying open the page on a quintessential American original.

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SKU: 21394882959

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GRETCHEN
Bozeman, US
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Tough chewer winner
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Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2025
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Jason K.
Draper, US
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Very Straightforward and Easy to Use
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I have used this several times, and it has always been a smooth and convenient experience. The biggest advantage is how intuitive the process is. Reloading the balance is simple, quick, and easy to understand without unnecessary steps or confusion. It is especially useful for managing spending, setting a shopping budget, or keeping funds ready for future purchases. Instead of entering payment details every time, having balance available makes checkout faster and more convenient. I also appreciate how quickly the funds are applied, allowing immediate use once the reload is completed. This is one of those simple Amazon features that works exactly the way it should. Overall, easy, efficient, and user-friendly. I have been very satisfied with it. Five stars.
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Martini81
Lowell, US
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Easy and simple: Exact Step-by-Step Guide to Reloading Your Balance
Reload type: One Time Reload
I found reloading my Amazon gift card balance much easier than expected. The process was simple and took about 5 minutes at most. Here are the exact steps to do it: ​Login: In the Amazon app or on Amazon.com, log in to your account. ​ Menu: Tap the 3 lines on the bottom right corner of your screen (next to Rufus, Amazon's AI). ​ Find Category: In the section highlighted "Shop by category," tap on Gifting & Registry (3rd option down in that section) and a drop-down menu will appear. ​ Select Gift Cards: On the drop-down menu, tap Gift Cards (first option). ​ Choose Your Action: "The Gift Card Shop" will appear. There you will have three options: "Redeem a gift card," "View your balance," and "Reload." ​ Start Reload: To add funds, tap Reload. ​ Select Type: Scroll down to "Add funds directly to your Amazon Gift Card balance" and tap which reload type you want (one-time, low balance auto-reload, or scheduled auto-reload). ​ Enter Amount: Choose your reload amount. The default is $25, but you can type in your own amount as well (the minimum amount is $5.00). ​ Finish: Tap the orange "Buy Now" tab. ***I used the Amazon app using the u i OneUI version 8.0 these Amazon app on Android version 16 (Baklava) on a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Others may have a slight variation of the menu setup on the Amazon app.***
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Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2026
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Kenneth Lucas
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Easy way to add balance
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Reloading my Amazon gift card balance has been easy and convenient. I like using it when I want to keep a little money set aside for Amazon orders or make checkout quicker without thinking about which card I want to use. The process is straightforward, the balance shows up fast, and it has been reliable every time I have used it. It is also helpful for budgeting because I can add a set amount and then use that balance for regular purchases. Nothing complicated about it, which is exactly why I like it.
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Laura Sinkler
Houston, US
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Monthly reload for Subscribe & Save Orders
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Not a glamorous review, but a genuinely useful tip for Subscribe & Save users. I reload about $100 to my gift card balance once a month, a week or two before my S&S order processes. Amazon pulls each Subscribe & Save item as a separate transaction, which means 10+ individual charges hitting your bank account on before or on ship day. A headache for budgeting and a minor anxiety trigger if you're watching your account for unauthorized activity. Loading the balance first consolidates everything into one clean transaction. Your S&S order then pulls from the gift card balance rather than your card directly, and your bank statement stays tidy. The side benefit is built-in budget discipline. I set about $100 as my monthly Amazon ceiling - if my cart runs over, something gets pushed to next month. It's a simple system that keeps spending intentional without any extra effort. If you're a regular S&S user who wants cleaner finances and less ""wait, who charged this and what was that charge?"" moments, this is worth making a habit.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2026

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