Book Description
What makes some presidents triumphant leaders and
others disastrous failures? How has the presidency evolved
from the institution established by the Founding Fathers?
Which president was the first to be elected with no previous
political experience? In this wonderfully engaging book,
readers will discover the answers to such questions and gain
a rich understanding of the personalities, policies, and
tragic flaws of our nation's chief executives.
With forty-one essays in all, by such eminent historians
as Eric Foner, Joyce Appleby, James Henretta, Alan Taylor,
Jean Baker, Robert Dallek, Drew McCoy, and Karen Orren, the Reader's
Companion showcases some of the most provocative
interpretive history being written today. Was Madison, for
example, an indecisive bungler who led his country to war or
a principled politician whose leadership was appropriate to
his time? Ranging from the tragedy of Hoover's administration
to Johnson's Great Society, from Carter's human rights agenda
to the current administration's challenges, these engagingly
written pieces shed light on the hubris, and sometimes the
brilliance, of our leaders. Fully illustrated with timelines,
data boxes, and short essays on presidential families, this
book is an indispensable resource for the serious historian
and the curious reader alike.
