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John McPhee
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The Headmaster Paperback – September 1, 1992

by John McPhee (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 107 ratings
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Starting in 1902 at a country school that had an enrollment of fourteen, Frank Boyden built an academy that has long since taken its place on a level with Andover and Exeter. Boyden, who died in 1972, was the school's headmaster for sixty-six years. John McPhee portrays a remarkable man "at the near end of a skein of magnanimous despots who...created enduring schools through their own individual energies, maintained them under their own absolute rule, and left them forever imprinted with their own personalities." More than simply a portrait of the Headmaster of Deerfield Academy, it is a revealing look at the nature of private school education in America.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    160 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 1992
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.4 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0374514968
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0374514969
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“One always has the sense with McPhee of a man at a pitch of pleasure in his work, a natural at it, finding out on behalf of the rest of us how some portion of the world works.” ―Edward Hoagland, The New York Times

“A fine portrait of an individualist's individualist.” ―J. G. Herzberg, The New York Times

“McPhee has produced an engaging portrait of an exceedingly engaging man.” ―Alvin Beam, Cleveland Plain Dealer

“The Headmaster is a record of a lifetime's striving to create perfection--a striving conducted with zest, vision, humor and an unbelievable capacity for work.” ―John McKey, The Boston Globe

About the Author

John McPhee was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and was educated at Princeton University and Cambridge University. His writing career began at Time magazine and led to his long association with The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer since 1965. Also in 1965, he published his first book, A Sense of Where You Are, with Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and in the years since, he has written over 30 books, including Oranges (1967), Coming into the Country (1977), The Control of Nature (1989), The Founding Fish (2002), Uncommon Carriers (2007), and Silk Parachute (2011). Encounters with the Archdruid (1972) and The Curve of Binding Energy (1974) were nominated for National Book Awards in the category of science. McPhee received the Award in Literature from the Academy of Arts and Letters in 1977. In 1999, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Annals of the Former World. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (September 1, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374514968
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374514969
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 107 ratings

About the author

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John McPhee

John McPhee

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John McPhee was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and was educated at Princeton University and Cambridge University. His writing career began at Time magazine and led to his long association with The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer since 1965. The same year he published his first book, A Sense of Where You Are, with FSG, and soon followed with The Headmaster (1966), Oranges (1967), The Pine Barrens (1968), A Roomful of Hovings and Other Profiles (collection, 1969), The Crofter and the Laird (1969), Levels of the Game (1970), Encounters with the Archdruid (1972), The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed (1973), The Curve of Binding Energy (1974), Pieces of the Frame (collection, 1975), and The Survival of the Bark Canoe (1975). Both Encounters with the Archdruid and The Curve of Binding Energy were nominated for National Book Awards in the category of science.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
107 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bruce Hoof
5.0 out of 5 stars MAGIC IN POCUMTUCK
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a wonderfully written book, by an exceptional writer, about a truly great man.
Frank Boyden was the Headmaster of Deerfield Academy, located in the Pocumtuck Valley in Western Massachusetts, from 1902 until 1968. During that time he transformed a school on the brink of closing to what was by 1968 one of America's very best secondary schools. In the process he nurtured and developed some of the world's best citizens.
To Deerfield's credit it has built upon, rather that rested upon, the foundation which Frank Boyden laid. But today's Deerfield could never have existed had it not been for Frank Boyden's miracle. What he achieved is to my knowledge unique. No one before or since has created so much from so little in such a period of time.
If you had ever met Frank Boyden you would have been unimpressed. He was a small man who did not appear or sound remarkable; and he was clearly not at all impressed with himself. That appearance, however, was totally misleading. Somehow, behind that unassuming character, Frank Boyden worked magic.
In "The Headmaster", a book both funny and inspirational, McPhee insightfully lays out in just over 100 pages, the captivating story of how Boyden achieved this incredible transformation in Deerfield. But it also reveals how Frank Boyden impacted not just Deerfield, but also achieved much more. If you care about education; about young people; about how we relate with one another; about the type of society we have, you will both enjoy this book and enjoy meeting Frank Boyden, and you will be inspired by both. What you learn by reading this book will stay with you, and keep you thinking, long after you finish the last page. If our country is great it is because we have been the beneficiaries of the talents, ideals and dedication of people like "The Headmaster". He has made an impact on this country and on our world that continues to this day. Both are better places because of what Frank Boyden achieved in the Pocumtuck Valley.
8 people found this helpful
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Anne Salazar
5.0 out of 5 stars CHARMING, SPECIAL MEN: THE AUTHOR AND THE SUBJECT
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2010
Verified Purchase
I loved this book. It was about a simple but brilliant headmaster and was written by a man who may call himself simple, but who is brilliant as well. Both, in my opinion, are sweet, self-fulfilled men and we should count outselves lucky to read about them.

Not that this book is about John McPhee, because it isn't inasmuch as he wrote it about Frank Boyden. But we get to know John McPhee in the writing and that's one thing that makes this book so special.

I feel like I am going to gush on and on here, so I will just say thank you to John McPhee for reminding us what school USED to be like, which was an all-incompassing and mostly loving learning experience if one happened to go to Deerfield School during the time of Headmaster Boyden. I loved every sentence of this book, most of which made me smile or brought a shock of recognition along with a tear or two. I would like to see this book fleshed out to become a full-fledged biography, especially now that I have read that John McPhee spent a year at Deerfield back when.....
One person found this helpful
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Tony McGeorge
4.0 out of 5 stars The Headmaster: Frank L. Boyden of Deerfield
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2012
Verified Purchase
"The Headmaster" is a wonderful read and that is especially true for those in independent school education. The author has made it simple, straight to the point and thus, a wonderful guide to help new Heads of Schools. The book is, as relevant today as when it was written and it will make you think about your style and approach as a school's leader, which is so important to your success.

I Loved it.

CAM
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Boyden is maybe the best headmaster the world has ever seen
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2016
Verified Purchase
Boyden is maybe the best headmaster the world has ever seen. He was honored by every president from TR to JFK. Whether the student body numbered fourteen or five hundred, Boyden made a cohesive family out of them, through personal participation, sensitive parenting, and sound common sense. McPhee brings this all across to the reader in his delightful and inspiring portrait of Boyden.
2 people found this helpful
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Marco Antonio Abarca
5.0 out of 5 stars The Blend of Personal Humility and Intense Professional Will
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2009
Verified Purchase
While reading John McPhee's "The Headmaster", I was reminded of business writer Jim Collins' book "Good to Great" In his book, Collins identifies what he calls Level Five leaders. They are the rare leaders who are able to bring organizations to their highest levels of performance. These great leaders "blend extreme personal humility with intense professional will". If there ever was a poster child for Jim Collin's Level Five leader it has to be Frank Boyden.

Charter Schools are a relatively new phenomonon sweeping across the United States. Many new schools are being opened and there are great opportunities for young leaders to mold these institutions. "The Headmaster" is an inspiring portrait of what one strong willed person can do. This book should be a must read for young charter school leaders.
One person found this helpful
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M. H. Bayliss
5.0 out of 5 stars they don't make em like this anymore
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2001
Verified Purchase
Sure, this may be more of a panegyric more than a biography, but it's inspiring. As someone who has spent years in private schools, it's great to read about a headmaster who really shaped a school -- Boyden defines headmastership: he was head of Deerfield for 64 years! Even more impressive than Mr. Boyden was his wife whom he called the smartest person on the campus. Proves the theory that behind every great man is a great woman. I hope we restructure our school administrations so that we allow for heads like this again -- too much time is spent these days on fundraising and not enough on school. Though Boyden was not an intellectual, he inspired and trained generations of boys and never lost his personal touch.
8 people found this helpful
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Mary Raihofer
5.0 out of 5 stars A Model for Education.
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2014
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This was a gem of a book. He took a dying private academy and created a model of success. Deerfield Academy is a most prestegious facility and many lessons to be learned from his style and the demands placed on his staff and the committment of staff toward the students. To see an example of excellence, go visit the school and staff on- line and look at their backgrounds and the requirement to teaching some non- academic course other than their area of expertise and the fact that staff live on campus in apartments affiliated with dorm space and the availability of staff to students 24/7. Great effort is made to mold character, responsibility and life-long learning. A real pleasure to read.
3 people found this helpful
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johnpsmith19
5.0 out of 5 stars Do you want to learn how to lead?
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
Then read this book. Especially page 19.
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