Ira Gershwin

From his first major hit, the now classic "The Man I Love" (1924), to his last great success, "The Man That Got Away" (1954), Ira Gershwin wrote the words to some of America's most beloved standards. In this "clear, focused, highly readable study" ("The New York Times Book Review"), the older, less flamboyant of the Gershwin brothers steps out of the shadows to claim his due as one of American songwriting's most important and enduring innovators. 24 photos.

Philip Furia is Professor of English at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of The Poets of Tin Pan Alley.