Mailer wrote his fourth novel, "An American Dream", as a serial in "Esquire" magazine over eight months (January to August 1964), publishing the first chapter two months after he wrote it. In March 1965, Dial Press published a revised version. The novel generally received mixed reviews, but was a best seller. Joan Didion praised it in a review in "National Review" (April 20, 1965) and John W. Aldridge did the same in "Life " (March 19, 1965), while Elizabeth Hardwick panned it in "Partisan Review" (spring 1965).