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Title: The White House: Actors and Observers by William Seale, White House Historical Association ISBN: 1-55553-547-X Publisher: Northeastern University Press Pub. Date: November, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (1 review)
Rating: 5
Summary: Fascinating !!!
Comment: This lovely book, published at the time of the 200th anniversary of the occupation of the White House, consists of a compilation of essays written by a panel of distinguished writer-historians. It contains over 100 illustrations, including the earliest photos, taken in the 1840s.
The introduction, entitled "Like No Other House" says it all!The White House is unique: a "private" family home, the hub of our government, a tourist attraction, and a place of ceremony. It has been the scene of some of history's most important events and some of history's most important figures have stayed under its roof.
The White House has survived: from the burning by the British only 14 years after John and Abigail Adams moved in through many periods of neglect and mismanagement.
The book focuses more on personalities than on politics, especially the First ladies, who are given great credit by many of the essayists.
Beginning with John and Abigail Adams' short residency, the first essay follows Abigail on her long journey from Massachusetts to the "marshlands of the Potomac", where she found a barely furnished house with no wood to heat it, an unfinished staircase, and plaster walls that were still damp.
Dolley Madison managed to combine simplicity with high style with the help of architect Benjamin Latrobe. The Madison's tenure was cut short when the British burned the Executive Mansion, as it was called, in 1814.
The house was rebuilt as a national symbol, but by the time the Lincolns moved in over 100 years later, it was a shabby place. The once-elegant public rooms had threadbare rugs, dirty upholstery, faded draperies, and few amenities. Mary Lincoln immediately took upon herself the transformation of the President's house, traveling to New York and Philadelphia during wartime to look for rugs, wallpaper, china, and crystal and having much of the furniture restored. Despite her efforts, during public events, people actually cut off pieces of the wallpaper, rugs, and curtains for souvenirs.
Theodore Roosevelt "remade the presidency and reinvented the White House and his models for both have lasted a century" according to the essayist who wrote the section about him. He changed the name from the Executive Mansion to the White House and added the West Wing for executive offices. Unfortunately, the renovation was finished too fast and was mainly cosmetic. Only 50 years later, a massive structural rebuilding had to be undertaken.
I learned much more about those who have occupied the White House, but will control myself and not go into any more of that here! Believe me, this is a book that you will learn from, even if you think you know American history fairly well.
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Title: Heart of a Nation: Writers and Photographers Inspired by the American Landscape by Barry Lopez, National Geographic Society ISBN: 0792279409 Publisher: National Geographic Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
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Title: America on My Mind: The Best of America in Words and Photographs by Collective ISBN: 0762723602 Publisher: Globe Pequot Pr Pub. Date: 01 December, 2001 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: The White House: An Illustrated History by Catherine O'Neill Grace, Laura Bush ISBN: 0439429714 Publisher: Scholastic Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The White House: An Illustrated Tour by Bill Harris ISBN: 0762414111 Publisher: Courage Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.50 |
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Title: America's National Parks: The Spectacular Forces That Shaped Our Treasured Lands by Paul Schullery, Paul D. Schullery, Brian Batesw, John Cleese ISBN: 0789480166 Publisher: DK Publishing Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $50.00 |
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