The life of composer Richard Rodgers encapsulates the very essence of New York and London high society during the first half of the twentieth century. His twenty-five year collaboration with Lorenz Hart gave rise to songs that will live forever, including: ‘Manhattan’, ‘The Lady is a Tramp’, ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’ and ‘Blue Moon’. After Hart’s death, he collaborated with Oscar Hammerstein II and together they wrote Oklahoma, South Pacific, Carousel, The King And I and The Sound Of Music, among many other beloved musicals. In her outstanding biography Secrest sets the scenes for five decades of American muscial history, with its parades of cock-eyed optimists and heroines with hearts of gold. It is also the intriguing portrait of this complex composer, unequalled, not just for longevity but output, and adored by successive generations around the world.