Reporter Crouse's behind-the-scenes coverage of the political press corps during the 1972 presidential campaign is an enlightening study in journalism and the political process. Photos. nCheap booze. Flying fleshpots.

Lack of sleep. Endless spin. Lying pols. nJust a few of the snares lying in wait for the reporters who covered the 1972 presidential election.

Traveling with the press pack from the June primaries to the big night in November, Rolling Stone reporter Timothy Crouse hopscotched the country with both the Nixon and McGovern campaigns and witnessed the birth of modern campaign journalism. The Boys on the Bus is the raucous story of how American news got to be what it is today. With its verve, wit, and psychological acumen, it is a classic of American reporting.n