Big Russ and Me; Father and Son: Lessons of Life

New York: Miramax Books, 2004. First Edition Stated. Presumed First Printing. Hardcover. Very good/Good. xvi, 336 pages. Illustrated endpapers. Illustrations (some color). Some soiling and sticker residue on front DJ. Inscribed by the author. Timothy John "Tim" Russert (May 7, 1950 - June 13, 2008) was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the moderator of NBC's Meet the Press. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Washington bureau chief and also hosted an eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview program. He was a frequent correspondent and guest on NBC's The Today Show and Hardball. Russert covered several presidential elections, and he presented the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey on the NBC Nightly News during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Time magazine included Russert in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008. Russert was posthumously revealed as a 30-year source for syndicated columnist Robert Novak. NBC-TV's senior vice president and Washington Bureau Chief and host of "Meet the Press" offered an intensely personal and charming memoir of American life in the 1950's and the special bond he shared with his father, the irrepressible Big Russ. From the lessons he learned from his father and his Catholic upbringing to his passion for the Buffalo Bills and the New York Yankees to the grace of daily obligations and patriotism, Russert's reflections hit the very epicenter of American values. In this warm, engaging memoir, a #1 New York Times bestseller upon its initial release in 2004, Russert casts a fond look back to the 1950s Buffalo. He recalls the extraordinary example of his father, a WWII veteran who worked two jobs without complaint for thirty years and taught his children to appreciate the values of self-discipline, of respect, of loyalty to friends. These deep roots stayed with Russert as he forged a remarkable career, first in government and then in media, and finally in his 16 years at Meet the Press as one of the most recognized and trusted face in television news.