LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON

A distinctly critical depiction of Lyndon Johnson as a man who reached the top through circumstance and consummate skill at deal- making but who, according to Eskow, was unsuited to the office. Complaining about the folklore that grew up around LBJ's early life, the author compares a variety of sources to come up with the most likely course of events, sketching a pushy man with a wild streak who rushed into marriage, craftily outmaneuvered campus politicians, and—once he got to Washington—``showed very little ethical sense as he ran in the corridors of power.'' The author suggests that Johnson was not above buying votes, but that he owed his success to important friends, a brilliant talent for back-room negotiation, and an ability to find untapped sources of support- -e.g., his early alignment with the Civil Rights Movement and, later, the groundbreaking Great Society legislation. However, because he was ``less a statesman than a politician,'' the Vietnam War slipped out of control, and he never enjoyed the respect of Congress, the people, or (so far) history. Eskow writes with clarity and candor (``Doris Kearns is...rumored to have been closer to [Johnson] than a biographer ought to get''), appending detailed source notes and an evaluative bibliography. His view will add depth to collections that already own the more superficial (if better illustrated) series biographies: Hargrove's (1987) or Falkof's (1989). Small section of b&w photos; index. (Biography. 12+)