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List Price: $26.00Amazon.com's Price: $22.10 You Save: $3.90 (15%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.099
EAN: 9781891620430
ISBN: 1891620436
Label: PublicAffairs
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 162
Publication Date: 1999-12
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Sales Rank: 444537
Studio: PublicAffairs
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Renowned American writers and historians evoke America at its best - from Tom Paine's Common Sense to the Gettysburg Address, from barbed wire to the baseball diamond- in a compelling, spectacularly designed and illustrated full-cover volume.
For anyone interested in American history and popular culture--and anyone who appreciates a spectacular book on their shelf or coffee table--this full-color celebration of America at its best offers compelling testimony to a nation's courage, character and imagination. Richly illustrated spreads feature original, entertaining essays, many by renowned writers, on a wide array of American ideas, inventions, and accomplishments. While the editors' selection of 'greats' is sure to inspire comment and controversy, readers will find nothing debatable about the beauty and quality of this inspiring reflection on a nation's heritage.
Amazon.com Review:
This little gem of a book offers seven essays by noted presidential biographers, historians, and journalists on the way 20th-century presidents have dealt with power in the Oval Office. The lineup is impressive: David McCullough discusses how the more notable presidents have shaped the presidency; Doris Kearns Goodwin relates Franklin Roosevelt's ability to lead the nation through the Great Depression and World War II; Michael Beschloss contrasts the governing styles of Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy; and Robert Caro covers the intricacies of Lyndon Johnson's political life. Each writer is perfectly suited to the task, filling this brief book with lively anecdotes and information, backed by prodigious research and experience. For example, former Washington Post editor Benjamin Bradlee, who covered Nixon's unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1960 and oversaw his paper's Watergate coverage as editor a decade later, uses many first-person experiences and conversations to bring Richard Nixon to life. Edmund Morris, author of Dutch, the controversial biography of Ronald Reagan, and David Maraniss, author of a biography of Bill Clinton, both contribute essays on their subjects as only gifted writers with unlimited access could produce. Anyone who is interested in politics, the presidency, or U.S. history will find much to enjoy here. --Linda Killian
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Love this book!!
This is a volume that I will keep nearby so I can refer to it whenever I want to remember something I read or share a passage with an interested party. Power and the Presidency is a great little book...short, easy to read, and informative. I didn't know about the severe setting and conditions under which Lyndon Johnson was raised. His rise to power is quite remarkable given his beginnings. Eisenhower's lack of ease with public speaking reminds me of George Bush, but both men were/are very effective ... Read More
Rating: - Well Stated
Power and the Presidency seeks to capture the unique traits of a collection of the more successful recent Presidents. The writers of each of the sections are in most cases biographers of the president for which they write. While the content on each president is brief, I found it to be an informative and enjoyable read.
Franklin Roosevelt is portrayed as a born leader. His personality was ideal for leading the country through the conflicts of his Presidency. Goodwin's section has the underlying ... Read More
Rating: - Good things in small packages
This is a POWERFUL book. A good, quick read from some of our premier modern-day American historians. This collection of essays gives us an inside look at most of the presidencies of the second half of the 20th century. A must read for any history buff.
Rating: - A little gem of a book, Indeed!
These well written essays provide vivid glimpses of varying Presidential personalities, with thoughtful discussion of individual strengths and weaknesses. To me, especially in an election year where character is a major issue, it was an enthralling read, with highlights of qualities such as "Reagan's voice, which was a large part of Reagan's power..." or the speaking style of TR, with plosive P sounds, which "would pop with Gatling-gun force. The effect of his oratory was to bury every word in the psyche ... Read More
Rating:  - Dissenting opinion
Although vivid, most of the essays in this book are far too short to address the complexities of each different personality. Beschloss's essay is the best; Morris', Caro's, and McCullough's good but inferior to their respective biographies of Reagan, Johnson and Truman. Goodwin's essay doesn't add much, and the editors get docked a star by choosing Benjamin Bradlee - of all people - to review Richard Nixon. A more impartial person and Nixon biographer (Stephen Ambrose? Tom Wicker?) would have been more ... Read More
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Dewey Decimal Number: 973.099
EAN: 9781891620430
ISBN: 1891620436
Label: PublicAffairs
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 162
Publication Date: 1999-12
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Sales Rank: 444537
Studio: PublicAffairs