Richard Ben Cramer's career as a literary journalist follows a traditional, indeed conventional, pattern: newspaper experience, magazine free-lancing, and, ultimately, the writing of books. In each phase, however, Cramer's work has challenged the traditions and conventions of the chosen genres as he finds new, imaginative ways to present his reporting and prose. That he has also become involved in the making of television documentaries shows the range of his skills.

Cramer was born in Rochester, New York, on 12 June 1950. At Brighton High School he was active on the school newspaper staff; later he received a liberal arts bachelor's degree in 1971 from Johns Hopkins University, where he edited the campus newspaper. He spent the next year at Columbia University, earning a master's degree in journalism in 1972. Following graduate school, Cramer became a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, covering metropolitan news and state politics. In a 6 July 1992 profile of Cramer...