It Takes Two

Robert Caro’s steadfast commitment to research makes his books compulsively readable. (It also renders deadlines mere suggestions—don’t ask when he’ll finish The Years of Lyndon Johnson.) In The Power Broker, Caro’s determination to get the facts right led him to reject Great Man narratives about Robert Moses and, instead, depict history as a struggle for power.

Robert Gottlieb’s detail-oriented editing philosophy makes him a natural fit for Caro. Their relationship—depicted in Turn Every Page, a documentary directed by Gottlieb’s daughter Lizzie—is symbiotic. They each agreed to the film on the condition that they would not be interviewed in the same room, but they are of one mind even discussing their ferocious disagreements. Their storied partnership is a fairy tale: of a book industry that isn’t beholden to Amazon, advances that one can live on, and publishers taking chances on projects that don’t immediately translate to commercial success.

The privileges Caro and Gottlieb enjoy go unexamined, and the sacrifices of everyone around them are mentioned only in pass…