Queen Bess: The Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson

The first Jewish Miss America (1945), TV celebrity and New York City's Consumer Affairs commissioner under Mayor John Lindsay, Bess Myerson became commissioner of Cultural Affairs during the terms of Mayor Edward Koch, when she also served as the city's unofficial First Lady. In this engrossing, detailed and empathetic portrait, former Newsday reporter Preston depicts Myerson as brilliant and charming, but unpredictable and at times ruthless, her accomplishments marred by disastrous marriages and love affairs. Her downfall resulted from an attempt on behalf of a lover to bribe the state superior judge presiding over his divorce. Although she was acquitted of conspiracy charges, the scandal cut short her career. Photos not seen by PW. (Apr.)