A Very Presidential Bookshelf

Richard Striner brings the remarkable range of his knowledge to this study of the ways in which six presidents from Lincoln to Kennedy expanded the powers of the federal government and of their office to promote positive, progressive change in the American polity. Drawing on a lifetime of scholarship, the author writes with great clarity for a general audience beyond the academy, while at the same time offering original insights that deepen and broaden our understanding of how the government promoted greater justice and equity in the American socioeconomic order during the century from the 1860s to the 1960s.

— James M. McPherson, Princeton University

Agree or disagree, Larry Lindsey's advice to the next president makes a crackling good read. As you turn the pages, you may find yourself alternately smiling and frowning. But you'll want to keep turning—and you should.

— Alan S. Blinder, professor of Economics, Princeton University; former Vice Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; former member, President's Council of Economic Advisers

It's an accepted part of the American narrative that Abraham Lincoln was a living embodiment of the American dream and one of our greatest presidents. However, Hogan's (Gender, Race, and National Identity) sociological study shows every generation interprets Lincoln differently according to its own values, hopes, and fears. Her exhaustive research demonstrates how American opinions about Lincoln serve mostly to feed the current national identity and the purposes of interest groups quoting him. She analyzes memoir, fiction, Lincoln's place in education, and the commercial use of his identity, especially in places he lived. Moving deftly between extremely academic and very accessible language, readers can engage with the text and thoughtfully consider Hogan's perspective. Those curious about history and the shared American cultural narrative will embrace Hogan's work and look at cultural mythology with a more critical eye.

— Publishers Weekly

Here are the 110 rules which George Washington copied into his early notebooks and lived by all his life—from such rules as 'Spit not in the fire' to 'Sleep not when others speak'.

— Applewood Books

“Conroy finds old and new sources for the fascinating backstairs events and people in Lincoln’s White House. He writes concisely yet imaginatively to bring those many famous or forgotten people back to life: black and white, military and civilian, male and female, malicious and beneficent, young and old. This book will be a standard source for the Lincoln Presidency.”

— James M. Cornelius, Ph.D., Curator, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Springfield, Illinois