Biography of an Idea: Memoirs of Public Relations Counsel Edward L. Bernays

The idea is Public Relations. The author is the pioneer who did more than anyone else to establish its principles, practices and ethics. The book is his autobiography, of which Eric Hodgins has write: [It] "is inextricably entwined with some of the most socially significant years this republic ever under-went," and about the author, "...you, of course are responsible for a considerable amount of the changes you record." Mr. Bernays tells his story of three quarters of a century on three levels: the background of social, economic, and political tapestry against which the action takes place; running account of case histories set forth in authoritative, intimate and behind the scene detail; and the personal reactions of the author to people and events. The scope of his activities has been vast; from the introduction of Nijinsky and the Diaghilev Ballet to this country to working with such corporate giants as Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., George Washington Hill, A.P. Giannini, Henry Ford; to advising Presidents from Calvin Coolidge through Dwight D. Eisenhower; to personal and professional associations with such national figures as Al Smith, Enrico Caruso, Thomas Edison, Henry Luce, David Sarnoff; to helping to introduce and popularized the works of his uncle, Sigmund Freud, to the English-speaking world. Mr. Bernays describes the many national movements, social beliefs, trends, fashions and fads that have been the result of his carefully planned public relations activities. He reveals his secrets, the techniques, the causes and consequences of this glamorous, crucial, yet little understood profession. He describes how Public Opinion functions, how he applied the social sciences to the solution of practical problems, and how he harnessed ideas to reality and made them work. He describes the many "firsts" he initiated: the concept of the importance of group leaders and opinion molders; the coincidence of public an private interests etc...