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John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private Life 49 reviews
Paul C. Nagel
Harvard University Press, 1999
Five Stars
+ JQA A Patriot
+ A Fine Biography of a Great American
+ Enjoyable and Informative
+ THE LIFE OF THE PARTY
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Woodrow Wilson: World Statesman 7 reviews
Kendrick A. Clements
Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 1999
Don't Forget Woodrow Wilson
+ Mister, we could use a man like Woody again!
+ Wilson the peacemaker
Kendrick A. Clements "Woodrow Wilson" delivers what it promises -an excellent introductory study of our 28th president - in just 223 pages of text. Some readers may want more intimate details about Wilson and the people in his life; for them there are 11 additional pages of pertinent ...
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Rutherford B. Hayes 16 reviews
Hans Trefousse
Times Books, 2002
Very useful brief biography of Rutherford B. Hayes
+ A Disputed Presidency
+ Modest accomplishments
President Rutherford (called "Rud" by friends) is best known, probably, for being a (as his opponents put it) fraudulent president." Of course, this refers to (a) his becoming president while being whipped in the national popular vote and (b) the process by which a couple contested southern states ...
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Grant58 reviews
Jean Edward Smith
Simon & Schuster, 2002
The passage of time adds to the achievement
+ Grant
+ Grant Moves Again.
+ Great Biography
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Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times69 reviews
H.W. Brands
Anchor, 2006
Andrew Jackson
+ Preserving the Union through a world of struggle
+ Solid Introduction to Andrew Jackson
+ Man and Myth Reconciled
+ A Good Read on Andrew Jackson
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The Life & Times of William Howard Taft (VOL. 1) 1 review
Henry F. Pringle
American Political Biography Press, 1998
Afterthoughts make poor subjects.
I have read nearly every book in print about WHT. Pringle's effort is quintessential. Pringle begins his treatment by admitting that his interest in Taft is superficial: He decided to write these books only after completing works on Teddy Roosevelt. Taft is usually treated as a moon to Roosevelt's ...
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Martin Van Buren and the Emergence of American Popular Politics (American Profiles (Rowman & Littlefield ...4 reviews
Joel H. Silbey
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005
A Tragic Genius and the American Tragedy
+ Broad Brush Analysis of Van Buren
Martin van Buren invented the American Democratic Party. More broadly, he was responsible as much as any other single man for the overall political party structure which exists in the United States to this day. Yet, to most of his latter-day countrymen, he is merely one of those forgettable ...
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American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson136 reviews
Joseph J. Ellis
Vintage, 1998
`He did not always speak exactly as he felt either towards his friends or his enemies.'
+ Great book!
I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Ellis's book about that enigmatic man: Thomas Jefferson. It is not a biography of Jefferson nor is it a complete history and those of us who want to know more about this period in American history will need to look to other sources.
For me, the value of this book ...
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His Excellency: George Washington219 reviews
Joseph J. Ellis
Vintage, 2005
Excellent
Some have wanted to reserve 5 stars to a "War and Peace" type book. To me 5 stars means the book did what it set out to do and did it well. "His Excellency" indeed did. It is an excellent short biography of the father of our country. When I picked this book up, I realized all I knew about ...
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James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity20 reviews
Harry Ammon
University of Virginia Press, 1990
Great biogrpahy and great thesis
+ About as good as it gets.
+ Complete bio that was well constructed
+ Very readable and well researched biography
+ Minor President only by comparison to his predecessors
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James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse (2nd Edition) (Library of American Biography)5 reviews
Sam W. Haynes
Longman, 2001
Polk Put Simply
+ James K. Polk
+ Good summary of Polk's political career
+ James K. and the Expansionist Impulse
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President James Buchanan: A Biography9 reviews
Philip S. Klein
American Political Biography Press, 1995
An excellent biography on an unfortunate President
+ Comprehensive and highly recommended biography of James Buchanan
+ Generally Good and Eye Opening
+ a good biography of a failed president
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Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield 35 reviews
Kenneth D. Ackerman
Da Capo Press, 2004
Well done tale of political intrigue
+ Gilded Age Politics
+ Brilliant political analysis
+ A must read for American History Buffs, Gilded Age
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Truman282 reviews
David McCullough
Simon & Schuster, 1993
Long, but well worth the length
+ A brilliant biography
+ McCullough? Buy It!
+ You Have To Read THIS Book!
+ Terrific History for Political Folks
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James Madison: A Biography33 reviews
Ralph Ketcham
University of Virginia Press, 1990
Essential reading for understanding James Madison
+ A Comprehensive Study of a Significant Man's Life
+ The Research Man
I will start this review by saying that this book is not for the casual reader. To enjoy this book, you have to have a serious interest in the life and political thought of James Madison. The writing style, while certainly not as bad as other reviews have stated, is a straightforward academic ...
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Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time (Signature Series)12 reviews
Freeman Cleaves
American Political Biography Press, 1990
Solid and recommended biography of William Henry Harrison
+ How the (Mid)west Was Won
+ All there is!
I am currently reading a bio of every President in order. With the more obscure Presidents of the antebellum era, the task of finding a quality biography becomes a bit more difficult. For William Henry Harrison the choice is extremely easy, as I believe Freeman Cleaves' bio is the only non-juvenile ...
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The Expatriation of Franklin Pierce: The Story of a President and the Civil War1 review
Garry Boulard
iUniverse, Inc., 2006
A good descriptive work but lacking somewhat in analytical understanding
As a student of the presidency and of 19th century America I was glad to find this book about Franklin Pierce, one of the most obscure of American chief executives. While there's not much coverage of Pierce's four years in office there is a good deal of attention paid to the tumultous times in ...
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Theodore Rex (Modern Library Paperbacks)198 reviews
Edmund Morris
Modern Library, 2002
Theodore Rex is an Inspirational Book
+ An Excellent Portrait of a Great President
+ A Window into Roosevelt's Presidency
+ Bully! (In a good way, mostly)
+ Good, but not as good as "The Rise"
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Benjamin Harrison: Hoosier President: The White House and After 1889-1901 (Signature Ser.)
Harry J. Sievers
American Political Biography Press, 1997
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Coolidge: An American Enigma26 reviews
Robert Sobel
Regnery Publishing, 1998
Really well written, concise and enjoyable read
+ Excellent Coolidge Biography
+ Coolidge alive
+ Fair assessment of an elusive man
+ Only a Beginning. . .
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