"W.H. Auden called him probably the most cosmopolitan man who ever lived. Aesthete, patron, diplomat, diarist, peace campaigner, defender of the Weimar republic and exile from Nazism, this ultra-sophisticated German count belongs to a type that probably no longer exists: a moneyed and cultivated amateur whose brains and background brought him effortless access to politics, society and intellectual life in ... Read moreany capital where he set foot." - The Economist "By weaving together the story of Kessler's life with that of is time, in a way that evokes the reader's sympathy for his subject without sacrificing critical perspective, he offers a compelling insight into an often dramatic and sometimes terrifying period of history." - Washington Post "Easton deftly fills in the rich cultural context of Kessler's many realms." - New York Times Book Review "From Laird M. Easton's Life of Kessler, told in an exemplary fashion, there is much to learn about what went wrong at such a crucial period of German history. And about the danger inherent in a belief in the improving power of culture." - Times Literary Supplement" Show Less