Inside Story

The Making of McPaper (Andrews, McMeel & Parker; $19.95), written by Peter Prichard, a USA Today editor, is that rare thing: a candid corporate history. Authorized by Neuharth, the book chronicles the bruised egos and near breakdowns that marked the paper's early years. In 1984 Neuharth shocked his top executives with a banquet made to resemble the Last Supper. Wearing a crown of thorns, Neuharth called himself the "crucified one" and warned that they would be "passed over" if costs were not cut. After Publisher Cathleen Black wrote a memo complaining that she was "publisher in title only," Neuharth scribbled obscenities on it and wrote, "Titles are what we want them to be!" Says Black today: "I'm not going to write any more memos."