This book opens with a concise, 10-page biographical sketch of Cole Porter. The remainder of the book is organized into sections by decades--1910 through 1950--each dealing with the composer’s life and career.

With regard to jazz standards, only five men can claim credit for writing more songs than Cole Porter. For research purposes Cole: A Biographical Essay includes profiles of his shows, personal photos, newspaper clippings, letters, and telegrams. There is no table of contents or index but the alphabetical list of Porter songs includes who introduced the song and in what show. In addition there is a discography of the original cast and selected historical recordings.

Robert Kimball is the editor of The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter, The Complete Lyrics of Ira Gershwin, and The Complete Lyrics of Lorenz Hart and is the co-editor of The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin and Reading Lyrics.

Brendan Gill was a long-time staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of many books, among them Here at The New Yorker, Lindbergh Alone, Tallulah, and Many Masks: A Life of Frank Lloyd Wright.