The Fourth Estate (novel)

Novel by Jeffrey Archer

The Fourth Estate

First edition (UK)

Author| Jeffrey Archer
Language| English
Publisher| HarperCollins

Publication date

| May 1996
Publication place| United Kingdom
Pages| 549
ISBN| 0-00-225318-6
OCLC| 34704972

Dewey Decimal

| 823/.914 20
LC Class| PR6051.R285 F68 1996

The Fourth Estate is a 1996 novel by Jeffrey Archer. It chronicles the lives of two media barons, Richard Armstrong and Keith Townsend, from their starkly contrasting childhoods to their ultimate battle to build the world's biggest media empire. The book is based on two real life media barons – Robert Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch,[1] who fought to control the newspaper market in Britain. (Murdoch had bought The Sun and News of the World and later Times Newspapers Ltd and Maxwell bought the Daily Mirror and the other newspapers in its group.).

The concept of the fourth estate is in essence the press as a watchdog on other powerful institutions or "estates", the original three estates in England and later the United Kingdom being the Lords Spiritual (of the Church of England), the Lords Temporal, and the commons. The fourth estate is charged with keeping an honest watch on activities of the other states and itself. These duties would help democratic societies function properly, openly, and honestly. Debate still flourishes as to whether or not this ever operated (or operates) as it was intended.

It also shows a battle between two strong characters from differing backgrounds, who are willing to take endless risks.

## Plot

[edit]

Lubji Hoch, the son of an illiterate Czech Jewish peasant, escapes the Nazis, changes his name to Richard Armstrong, and becomes a decorated British Army officer. After the war he is posted to Berlin as head of press relations in the British sector. He appropriates a floundering newspaper, his entrée to the business of publishing. On his return to the UK, he builds a publishing empire.

On the other side of the world, in Australia, Keith Townsend, son of a millionaire newspaper owner, is groomed to follow in his father's footsteps. Private schools, an Oxford degree, and a position at a London newspaper prepare him to take over the family business. He quickly becomes the leading newspaper publisher in Australia.

As Armstrong and Townsend battle to seize control of existing publishers on the world stage, they become fierce competitors. Hubris and overreach finally lead to financial disaster and tragic consequences.

## Responses

[edit]

Sarah Lyall, in The New York Times, thought the work contained "leaden dialogue", but despite the "tantalizing echoes" of Armstrong and Townsend's real life models, the two men "seem about as vivid as bureaucrats in a wire-service story".[2] Hugo Barnacle found evidence of a "dry sense of humour", but asserted that "Archer doesn't do insight or atmosphere, and gives the imagination very few cues."[1]

## Analogies

[edit]

Many of the things in The Fourth Estate are based on real things. The following are some of the notable examples.

People  Fourth Estate | Real life

|

Richard Armstrong | Robert Maxwell
> Born with surname Hoch | Same
> Briefly named himself after a brand of cigarette | Named himself John Player after a brand of cigarette
Keith Townsend | Keith Rupert Murdoch
> Relationship with flight attendant | Married flight attendant Patricia Booker
> Married cub reporter Kate | Married reporter Anna Maria Torv
Publications  Fourth Estate | Real life | Role

|
|

the Globe | News of the World | Battle for ownership
the Continent | The Australian | Established to Australia's answer to the London Times

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Hugo Barnacle "Maxwell vs Murdoch – the untold story", The Independent, 11 May 1996
2. ^ Sarah Lyall The Fourth Estate, New York Times, 7 July 1996

## External links

[edit]

* Jeffrey Archer's official website

* v
* t
* e

Jeffrey Archer

Fiction|

* Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less (1976)
* Shall We Tell the President? (1977)
* Kane and Abel (1980)
* The Prodigal Daughter (1982)
* First Among Equals (1984)
* A Matter of Honour (1986)
* As the Crow Flies (1991)
* Honour Among Thieves (1993)
* The Fourth Estate (1996)
* The Eleventh Commandment (1998)
* Sons of Fortune (2002)
* False Impression (2005)
* The Gospel According to Judas (2007)
* A Prisoner of Birth (2008)
* Paths of Glory (2009)
* Only Time Will Tell (2011)
* The Sins of the Father (2012)
* Best Kept Secret (2013)
* Be Careful What You Wish For (2014)
* Mightier Than the Sword (2015)
* Cometh the Hour (2016)
* This Was a Man (2016)

Non-fiction|

* Hell - Belmarsh (2002)
* Purgatory - Wayland (2003)
* Heaven - North Sea Camp (2004)

Short story collections|

* A Quiver Full of Arrows (1980)
* A Twist in the Tale (1988)
* Twelve Red Herrings (1994)
* The Collected Short Stories (1997)
* To Cut a Long Story Short (2000)
* Cat O'Nine Tales (2006)
* And Thereby Hangs a Tale (2010)

Short stories|

* "Old Love" (1980)

*[OCLC]: Online Computer Library Center number
*[LC Class]: Library of Congress Classification
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