Orville Prescott

Orville Prescott (1907–1996) was the main book reviewer for the New York Times for 24 years.

Born in Cleveland, Prescott graduated from Williams College in 1930. He began his career as a researcher for Newsweek, then known as News-Week, and became the literary editor of Cue before joining the Times, where he wrote three or four book reviews every week from 1942 through 1966. His reviews showed a preference for traditional novels with strong narratives and clear characterizations. In 1961, Gore Vidal wrote a scathing portrait of Prescott as a reviewer.^[1] Vidal later wrote that Prescott was so offended by his depiction of a homosexual love affair in The City and the Pillar that he refused to review his work or allow the Times to review it.^[2]

Prescott edited three anthologies about history and after his retirement wrote two books about the Italian Renaissance.^[3]

Works

• The Five Dollar Gold Piece: The Development of a Point of View (1956)
• History as Literature (1971)
• Mid-Century: An Anthology of Distinguished Contemporary American Short Stories (1973)

• Lords of Italy: Portraits of the Middle Ages (1972)
• Princes of the Renaissance: A Chronicle of the Private Lives and Public Careers of the Kings, Dukes, Popes and Despots Who Ruled Italy in the Fifteenth Century (1970)

References

1. ^ Esquire: Gore Vidal, "Comment", July 1961, accessed July 12, 2011
2. ^ Gore Vidal, "Introduction to Death in the Fifth Position", in Edgar Box, Death in the Fifth Position (Vintage, 2011), 3-4
3. ^ New York Times: Mel Gussow, "Orville Prescott, Times Book Critic for 24 Years, Dies at 89", April 30, 1996, accessed July 12, 2011

Persondata
Name	Prescott, Orville
Alternative names
Short description	Main book reviewer for The New York Times for 24 years
Date of birth	1907
Place of birth	Cleveland, Ohio
Date of death	1966
Place of death