The first lyricist to win the Pulitzer Prize, Ira Gershwin (1896--1983) has been hailed as one of the masters of the Great American Songbook, a period which covers songs written largely for Broadway and Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1950s. Now, in the first full-length biography devoted to his life, Michael Owen brings Ira out at last from the long shadow cast by his younger and more famous brother George. Drawing on extensive archival sources and often using Ira's own words, Owen has crafted a rich portrait of the modest man who penned the words to many of America's best-loved songs.