Sally Bedell Smith Books in Order

Following television executive Fred Silverman through CBS, ABC, and NBC, this account examines American prime-time programming in the 1970s. Network rivalries, ratings battles, and the pursuit of profit shape the shows that reach viewers.

Sally Bedell Smith follows William S. Paley from his family's Chicago cigar business to the creation of CBS. His ambitions, private pleasures, and corporate battles reveal how one powerful personality helped shape American broadcasting and the social world surrounding it.

This biography traces Pamela Churchill Harriman's transformation from an English aristocrat married to Winston Churchill's son into an influential American political figure and ambassador. Interviews and archival research connect her marriages, personal relationships, and social skills with her pursuit of power.

Drawing on interviews with friends and associates, Sally Bedell Smith examines Diana's childhood, marriage, public role, and search for personal identity. The biography explores the relationships and pressures that shaped her life behind the image presented by celebrity and royal ceremony.

Sally Bedell Smith examines Bill and Hillary Clinton's closely intertwined personal and political partnership during their White House years. Interviews and private papers reveal how shared ambition, marital crises, policy disagreements, and rivalry within the administration shaped their exercise of power.

This biography follows Elizabeth II from childhood and wartime service to marriage, accession, and decades of royal responsibility. Personal relationships and daily routines reveal the demands of balancing family life with a public role shaped by political change and relentless scrutiny.

Sally Bedell Smith traces Charles's childhood, relationships, public interests, and long preparation for kingship. Interviews illuminate his marriage to Diana, renewed relationship with Camilla, spiritual and intellectual pursuits, and the tension between personal convictions and the constraints of royal duty.

Letters and diaries illuminate the marriage of George VI and Elizabeth after an unexpected abdication places them on the throne. Their partnership helps sustain the monarchy through war while shaping the upbringing and preparation of their daughter, the future Elizabeth II.

The private relationships of John and Jacqueline Kennedy frame this account of their White House years. Interviews, letters, and personal papers illuminate their marriage, friendships, cultural circle, and political advisers, revealing tensions beneath the administration's celebrated public image.