Q&A: Gayle Feldman, "Nothing Random"

Q&A: Gayle Feldman, "Nothing Random"

From C-SPAN Bookshelf by C-SPAN

June 1, 2026 · 60 min

About this episode

Gayle Feldman discusses her book 'Nothing Random', which explores the life of Bennett Cerf and the impact of Random House on American literature.

Every week in the 1950s and 60s, 30 million Americans watched the congenial Bennett Cerf on Sunday nights on "What's My Line?" But he was much more than a game show panelist. In 1927, he co-founded the publishing giant Random House and brought to the public authors such as James Joyce, Ayn Rand, Truman Capote, Dr. Suess, and William Faulkner. Author Gayle Feldman spent 30 years researching and writing her book "Nothing Random." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guest: Gayle Feldman

Topics covered

  • publishing history
  • biography
  • American literature
  • game shows
  • Random House
  • famous authors

Keywords

  • Gayle Feldman
  • Bennett Cerf
  • Random House
  • Nothing Random
  • American authors
  • publishing
  • literature

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Random House

Books & works: Nothing Random, What's My Line?

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