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Title: To the Best of My Ability: The American Presidents (revised) by James M. McPherson, David Rubel, Society of American Historians, James McPberson ISBN: 0-7894-8156-1 Publisher: DK Publishing Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (16 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Read it for style as well as substance; both are there.
Comment: A fascinating book. Divided into two parts, this is the most comprehensive anecdotal history of the Presidents i've ever seen ~ or could imagine. The first part tells the story of each president with a nice amount of detail, in four or five pages. There is less information than, say, a World Book Encyclopaedia article, but it is far better organised, and delightfully readable in every case (there isn't a poorly written article in the bunch). The second part of the book is a very brief (a half dozen paragraphs) explanation of each of the quadrennial elections, followed by the text of the President's inaugural speech. I will confess, i have not read all of these speeches; i have read all of some, however, and some of many ~ enough to get a feel for the way the men spoke, and for the changing tastes in speeches over the past two centuries. If for no other reason than this latter point, the inaugural speeches ought to be required reading for students. To our ears a speech such as Washington's or the first Adams's is long, tedious, overly convoluted and, perhaps, irresponsibly difficult to follow. On the other hand, those of, for example, Clinton or Reagan are, by contrast, simple, if not simplistic, and not especially effective as oratory. The meat of the book, though, is definitely the fortyone essays by thirtytwo historians. I who, though not American, thought i had, through constant and varied reading, gained a fair amount of knowledge about the country's history, have learned an immense amount. And so i repeat, a fascinating book.
Rating: 4
Summary: Good "survey book" on American Presidents
Comment: This book contains an essay discussing each of the men to hold the office of President of the United States (up through and including Bill Clinton). Because each essay is written by a different historian -- presumably an historian who is an expert on the particular person in question -- there is not much in the way of narrative thread throughout the book. Each President is viewed from an angle particular to his own circumstances, and the reviews are generally positive in almost every case.
Despite this shortcoming, it's an enjoyable read. Each essay illuminates a little something of interest, even of the most well-known figures, and the essays manage to convey a number of trends as well as key events, despite the fact that they are rather short.
After the collection of essays, the book contains the inaugural speeches of each of the *elected* Presidents (I know that not every man to inherit the job gave an inauguration speech, but some did -- it's too bad those aren't included), which is *fascinating* reading.
There are a few disappointments -- such as the consistently incorrect reference to the "Democrat" party as the "Democratic" party in the second half of the book -- which sometimes make this book seem more like the poorly assembled high school texts many of us grew up with than the more pulitzer-prize worthy text it clearly aspires (and fails) to be.
But, while falling short of its aspirations, it is nonetheless a fun read and a decent introduction to the history of the United States as measured in terms of the man commanding the Oval Office. I recommend it as an introductory book on the subject, with many better biographies dedicated to specific Presidents available for those whose appetites are whetted.
Rating: 5
Summary: Interesting book that scratches the surface of the President
Comment: This book is a great book, full of great essays on each of our past Presidents, pictures and portraits of each President, election synopsis, and innagural speeches. Each President has a different historian that writes about them. Men such as James McPherson and Gordon Wood. There are wonderful essays about each President but especially, James Polk, John Tyler, and Abraham Lincoln. Although this book just scratches the surface of the terms of the Presidents, it does not flood you with a plethera of events that took place while they were President. It is a very interesting read, or a great book to begin an extensive study on the Presidents. A+
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Title: Days of Destiny: Crossroads in American History by James M. McPherson, Alan Brinkley, David Rubel, James McPberson ISBN: 0789480107 Publisher: DK Publishing Pub. Date: 01 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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Title: Complete Book of U.S. Presidents : From George Washington to Bill Clinton by William Degregorio ISBN: 0517183536 Publisher: Random House Value Pub Pub. Date: 06 April, 1997 List Price(USD): $11.99 |
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Title: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris ISBN: 0375756787 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 20 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: The Story of America by Allen Weinstein, David Rubel, James Axtell, Dorling Kindersley Publishing ISBN: 0789489031 Publisher: DK Publishing Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: The American Heritage Illustrated History of the Presidents by Michael R. Beschloss, American Heritage Magazine ISBN: 0812932498 Publisher: Crown Pub. Date: 10 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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