"With their intellectual brilliance, humour and wonderful eye for detail, Leonard Bernstein''s letters blow all biographies out of the water. His galaxy of correspondents includes Stephen Sondheim, Boris Pasternak and Jacqueline Kennedy. Full of fresh information and the authentic voice of a constant seeker."-- The Economist (named a 2013 Book of the Year) "His collaborator Betty Comden once noted, in a letter to Bernstein, that he saved ''every scrap of correspondence.'' You will be grateful . a rich collection of letters to and from Bernstein, filled with revelations about his musical and personal lives."--James R. Oestreich, New York Times "Bernstein''s versatility and ambition were such that he spent a lot of time trying to figure out who he was--which also meant searching for American music and for the future of music generally.

This book doesn''t resolve Bernstein''s quest. But it''s an invaluable resource, and the quest itself continues to fascinate and to matter."--Joseph Horowitz, Wall Street Journal "A rich selection of letters to and from Bernstein, meticulously edited by Nigel Simeone. Alive with spontaneous intelligence, Leonard Bernstein''s letters display exactly this unforced intimacy, though there were moments when he no doubt knew that posterity was listening in."--Morris Dickstein, Times Literary Supplement "His letters have a tremendous zest, and a good journalistic eye, too, and since he was often at the right place at the right time, at some of the key moments in his 20th-century history, this gives them a wider interest."--Christopher Hart, Sunday Times "The correspondence from and to the remarkable conductor is full of pleasure and insights."-- New York Times Book Review (Editors'' Choice) "This volume has been handsomely edited, and the decision to include letters from Bernstein''s correspondents results in a rich portrayal of a particular age of privilege."--Philip Hensher, The Guardian "Like Britten, Bernstein was an assiduous correspondent, and The Leonard Bernstein Letters is a vast, absorbing canvas of a life lived at full speed, with a cast list that reads like a who''s who of American cultural life in the 20th century.

"--Adam Lively, Sunday Times "Simeone''s choice of letters [are] superbly amplified by his exhaustively researched footnotes, which manage to identify and flesh out even the most obscure of his subject''s multifarious correspondents."--Stephen Walsh, The Spectator "For . eloquent and moving testimony read the entry for 25 November 1963 in The Leonard Bernstein Letters edited by Nigel Simeone, the contents of which give an . overview of a liberal American century."--Chris Ford, The Guardian "[A] fascinating selection of correspondence edited by Nigel Simeone. The Leonard Bernstein Letters is indeed a written reflection of the man himself--fascinating, discursive, frequently brilliant."--Ken Smith, Fontes Artis Musicae "Exhaustive, thrilling [and] indispensable."--Elysa Gardner, USA Today, starred review "Energetic, intimate .

an eye-opening volume: a glimpse into the personal life of a legend."--Jeff Lunden, NPR "Weekend Edition Sunday" "Bernstein emerges as highly literate, compassionate, astonishingly busy and gifted almost beyond measure."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "A hugely entertaining chronicle of a enviable life, and a trove of musical and show-business gossip."--Adam Kirsch, New Republic "[It''s] full of both serious and gossipy correspondence between the musical genius and such friends as Stephen Sondheim, Betty Comden and Aaron Copland."--Joe Meyers, CTNews.com "A document of a golden age."--Jimmy So, Daily Beast "The book--consisting of 650 letters both from and to Bernstein, dated between 1932 and 1990--is not merely interesting. It is fascinating, enlightening and a veritable page-turner that will keep you up nights, ruin your sleep and wreak all sorts of havoc for 600 pages.

"--Steve Suskin, Playbill "Magnificent and long-awaited."--Maria Popova, Brain Pickings "Simeone has managed to encapsulate a central tradition in the history of music of the last century as seen through the correspondence of one of its most important exponents."--Paul Seydor, Absolute Sound "This anthology of Bernstein''s correspondence, assembled by Nigel Simeone, shines a light on the famous conductor and composer''s private thoughts."-- WQXR.org "Time and again, The Leonard Bernstein Letters demonstrate how the composer and conductor lived in overdrive."--Carol Oja, Harvard Magazine "[Bernstein''s] manifold legacy, including these letters, lives on."--John Simon, Weekly Standard "Opens a window into the world of one of the most accomplished and brilliant artists of the 20th century."--Irene Javors, Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review "What terrifying letters you write: fit for the flames is what they are.

Just imagine how much you would have to pay to retrieve such a letter forty years from now when you are conductor of the Philharmonic."--Aaron Copland to Leonard Bernstein in 1940 "This incredible collection of letters gives us a glimpse into the depth and breadth of Bernstein''s world. The sheer volume of correspondence, all beautifully presented and annotated by Nigel Simeone, shows us that Bernstein loved the written word as much as the musical word!"--Marin Alsop, musical director, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.