The Old Lady of Vine Street by Richard K. Mastain

The Old Lady of Vine Street: The Valiant Fight for the Cincinnati Enquirer

by Richard K. Mastain

Format: 6 x 9 softcover
Page Count: 292

ISBN: 978-1-60008-065-4
Price: $19.95
Publication Date: October 15, 2007

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Book Description

These days the notion of a free press is almost an entirely foreign concept, and its ever-diminishing presence in our society has shown itself to be a thief of true democracy.

The Old Lady of Vine Street is the story of a small band of reporters who had the courage to risk everything they had for their belief in the importance of a free and independent press. They had the audacity to fight the powerful Taft family for the right to buy their own newspaper, the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The story unfolds in January 1952 in Cincinnati and moves on to the Federal District Court in Washington, D.C. Reporters Jim Ratliff and Jack Cronin head the list of major players that also includes the former United States Senator who chaired the Senate investigation of Joseph McCarthy in 1950, two of the wealthiest men in the United States, the most famous family in America, the trust company that sold the Washington Post to Eugene Meyers for $833,000, and over 800 Cincinnati Enquirer employees who risked their homes and life’s savings for a chance to own their paper, affectionately known as the Old Lady of Vine Street.

Author Information

Richard K. Mastain learned of the story of the Old Lady of Vine Street through his 35-year friendship with Jim Ratliff, who led the fight for the Cincinnati Enquirer and a free, independent press. He is a retired educator living with his wife of 57 years in Ashland, Oregon.