AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
![]() |
Home |  Store List |  FAQ |  Contact Us |   | ||
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
![]() |
Title: Presidents' House by William Seale ISBN: 0-8109-1490-5 Publisher: Harry N Abrams Pub. Date: 15 September, 1986 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The President's House
Comment: Often, history is written in broad sweep narratives that can be static and boring to the reader. Although William Seale wrote more than 1,000 pages on the history of the White House, you can be assured that there is nothing static or boring about these volumes. He displays an understanding of the fact that history is about the human drama of real people facing real predicaments, and it's poignance is found in how they react to those predicaments.
Whereas a history book will tell you that the British burned the White House in 1814, Seale tells us what was happening on the DAY the British marched into town. The hundred sentry guards who were supposed to defend the White House were gone, and they could easily have taken on the battalion of 150 British soldiers who marched in the mud down Pennsylvania Avenue, walked around the White House like tourists, ate Dolley Madison's dinner, and then torched the White House with precision. Then there is the even more dramatic moment when Lincoln looked out across the Potomac into Virginia to see the flags of the Confederacy flying, knowing that soon the capital would be surrounded if Maryland seceded from the Union.
The book is a perfect match of comedy and drama with stories ranging from the infestation of rats in the basement to a presidential love story that rivals "The American President," and in places describes a house that you would never imagine to be destined as the symbol of the most powerful nation on earth.
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent source of history and personal anecdotes.
Comment: William Seale has put together an excellent historical perspective of the history of the White House, including it's construction, reconstruction, and many renovations. The book also recounts the evolution of Washington, D.C. relative to it's relationship with the White House and it's occupants.
Along with describing the physical structure and it's many evolutions, Seale has managed to include a significant amount of history relative to the occupants of the White House, including their personal and political lives. This provides the reader with a good feel for life in the White House. Additionally, most will learn a significant amount about presidents who we simply know by name but not much else.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to those most interested in american history. Although it includes two volumes, the book is such an interesting read that it is hard to put it down.
![]() |
Title: The White House: An Illustrated Tour by Bill Harris ISBN: 0762414111 Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers Pub. Date: 01 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.50 |
![]() |
Title: Inside the White House: America's Most Famous Home by Betty Boyd Caroli ISBN: 0762101431 Publisher: Readers Digest Pub. Date: 01 June, 1999 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
![]() |
Title: The White House: Actors and Observers by William Seale, White House Historical Association ISBN: 155553547X Publisher: Northeastern University Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
![]() |
Title: The President's House: A First Daughter Shares the History and Secrets of the World's Most Famous Home by Margaret Truman ISBN: 0345444523 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 04 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
![]() |
Title: America's First Families: An Inside View of 200 Years of Private Life in the White House (Lisa Drew Books (Paperback)) by Carl Sferrazza Anthony ISBN: 0684864428 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 02 November, 2000 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments