The Successor: The High-Stakes Life of Lachlan Murdoch

by Paddy Manning

Overview

A book about power, apprenticeship, and succession in the first family of media

An heir apparent to the first global media dynasty, Lachlan Murdoch has been waiting to run his father Rupert’s empire all his life. In this riveting first biography of a little-understood but hugely influential figure, acclaimed journalist Paddy Manning asks: can the dutiful son hang onto the empire, or will the third generation of Murdoch moguls prove the last?

Despite a life in the spotlight, Lachlan’s personality, politics, and business acumen remain enigmatic. Is he the ultra-conservative ideologue media reports maintain, or a free-thinking libertarian, as some friends suggest?

After emerging victorious from the Murdoch family’s turbulent succession wars, Lachlan is stepping up at a time of unprecedented instability. What can we expect from his time at the helm, and does he have what it takes to chart a future for this century-old company? This is a book about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the global media world, and about America in the age of Trump and Murdoch. It is a book about power, apprenticeship, and succession.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781990823008
Publisher:	Sutherland House Books
Publication date:	11/15/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Paddy Manning is the author of several award-winning books, including biographies of Malcolm Turnbull and Nathan Tinkler. During almost twenty years in journalism he has worked for Crikey, The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Financial Review and The Australian, and has won several awards for journalistic excellence. His book, Body Count, won the 2021 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for non-fiction.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Istros vii

Part 1 Lachie 1

A Son Is Born 3

'Why Not?' 16

The Big League 25

First Among Equals 43

'The Best Deal Ever' 59

… And the Worst 72

His Own Man 81

The Walk-out 90

Part 2 Illyria 105

On the sidelines 107

Deal or No Deal 115

Trouble Brewing 127

The Humblest Day 142

A Difficult Night 152

'I Need You to Do This for Me' 168

Part 3 Sly Fox 181

Continental Shift 183

The Donald and the Loudest Voice 197

Payday 209

Last Man Standing 229

Wages of Fear 239

The Power of Now 249

Contagion and Crisis 265

The Decision Desk 279

Keep Winning 293

'Patriot' Scourge 314

Epilogue: Chartwell 339

Acknowledgements 345

Notes 349

Editorial Reviews

"This is certainly a book for Succession fans! I am sure Financial Times readers will remember Paddy Manning’s book on the hapless Nathan Tinkler, one of Australia’s briefest mining billionaires. Very entertaining and instructive." –Financial Times Readers' Best Books of 2022

"The Successor covers the older Murdoch son's life from childhood through youthful business ventures including investment in Australian rugby league, to his departure from his father’s businesses in 2005 and return nearly a decade later." —The Guardian

"As the first biography of the current head of a powerful media empire, The Successor is well worth reading." —Matthew Ricketson, The Conversation

"Given this is the man who likely already has operational oversight of a company that controls two-thirds of the Australian newspaper market, Australians deserve to know a lot more about him. They could learn a fair bit from The Successor." —Michael Rowland, ABC News

"I'm grateful for this valuable addition to our understanding of someone we should all know more about." —Andrew Dodd, Inside Story

"Paddy Manning pulls together the strands of the 51-year-old media mogul's life in a highly readable tome." —Amanda Meade, Guardian Australia

From the Publisher