Magalhães’s biography of Arthur da Silva Bernardes is the first noteworthy attempt to explore the career of one of the most influential political figures in Brazilian twentieth-century history. The Bernardes candidacy and presidency of 1922-24 take up the bulk of the text; there is disappointingly little on the 1930-1955 period during which Bernardes led the nationalist crusade on the successive issues of Itabira Iron, Petróleo Nacional, and Hiléia Amazônica. Printed documents, newspaper files and the standard memoirs and histories of the period are the author’s sources; no use is made of personal correspondence. The emphasis of the study is strictly political and apologetic. Magalhães, a lawyer by profession, nonetheless provides a significant advance in our knowledge of a still highly controversial historical figure.