He was interviewed in the early '60s by a young novelist, Pati Hill.

It is also one of the pleasures of oral biography, in that the reader, rather than editor, is jury.

My favorite monologue in the book is Kate Harrington's story of her relationship with Truman.

The New York Times published the guest list on the front page. The masks were a brilliant concept.

I remember being awed by it - the uniqueness and nicety of style - and I suspect I was a bit jealous because we were more or less of the same generation.