Before Rupert: Keith Murdoch and the Birth of a Dynasty (Tom D C Roberts, UQP)

From the title onwards, Rupert Murdoch looms large in this readable and entertaining biography of his father, Sir Keith. The author seeks to show how many of Rupert’s actions have antecedents in the elder media magnate, but the effect of the narrative jumping from the early 21st century to the early 20th is sometimes a little jarring. He also sets out to shows Keith Murdoch’s life ‘warts and all’, and to debunk some of the carefully crafted myths that the family has woven around the dynasty’s founder, and this he achieves admirably. This book is impeccably researched and the author clearly knows his subject, although the prolific use of footnotes makes it read at times more like an academic text than a mass-market biography. There is always interest in the history of the Australian media and the Murdochs in particular, especially if it involves controversy or scandal. Readers of Killing Fairfax and Hack Attack will enjoy this. I’m looking forward to the review in the Australian.

Dave Martus is a freelance writer and former bookseller

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Category: Reviews