This publication gives a new interpretation of the emergence of celebrity. It finds that America's ""culture of celebrity"" remains misunderstood, particularly when critics discuss its historical roots. Focusing on the development of human-interest journalism surrounding prominent public figures, it illuminates the ways in which new forms of press coverage gradually undermined the belief that famous people were ""great"". It looks at how the public were encouraged to view them as complex, interesting and even flawed individuals, in consequence offering readers seemingly intimate portrait of the ""real"" selves. Chapters are devoted to celebrities from the realms of business, politics, entertainment and sports and the works of celebrity journalists are examined in order to show how they weigh on subjects as wide ranging as social class, race relations, gender roles and democracy.