This fascinating look at five decades of gossip provides a behind-the-scenes examination of the personalities that control what is read and seen, from the salad days of silver screen magazines to the scoop-filled internet.

“Gossip.” It's more than just hearsay. society columns, and supermarket tabloids. It has, like it or not, become a mainstay of American pop culture. In “Dish, ” industry insider Jeannette Walls gives this provocative subject its due, offering a comprehensive, serious exploration of gossip and its social, historical, and political significance. Examining the topic from the inside out, Walls looks at the players; the origins of gossip, from birth of People magazine to the death of Lady Di; and how technology including the Internet will continue to change the face gossip. As compelling and seductive as its subject matter, “Dish” brilliantly reveals the fascinating inner workings of a phenomenon that is definitely here to stay.

Review
"A history of how gossip became the news... Saucy, sassy. -Los Angeles Times; “Dazzling... if you're interested in gossip, in the workings of the media and how gossip is dressed up as 'news,' you have to read this book cover to cover. It's great, a wickedly intelligent wallow - Liz Smith, New York Post”

Jeannette Walls is the former gossip correspondent for “E” Channel and New York magazine's “Intelligencer.” She can now be seen on MSNBC three mornings a week and appears on MSNBC online four days a week. She lives in New York City.