Author in chief : the untold story of our presidents and the books they wrote
by Fehrman, Craig (Author)
Summary
Presidential books have made an enormous impact on American history, catapulting their authors to the national stage and even turning key elections. Beginning with Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, the first presidential book to influence a campaign, these books have cast fresh ligh... Full description
- Part I: George Washington to James Monroe. In and out of control: Thomas Jefferson and the first campaign book ; Autobiography's founding father: John Adams and the first legacy book ; Primed and cocked: American history finds its readers
- Part II: John Quincy Adams to Ulysses S. Grant. The poet, the president who couldn't spell, and the campaign biography ; "Abram" Lincoln writes a book ; "Genera Grant, the people are moving en masse upon your memoirs"
- Part III: Rutherford B. Hayes to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Head of the class: Roosevelt, Wilson, and the expansion of executive power ; Campaign books hit the trail (thanks to, of all presidents, Calvin Coolidge) ; Legacy books get personal (thanks to, of all presidents, Calvin Coolidge)
- Part IV: Harry S. Truman to Donald Trump. Harry Truman's histories ; The writer who wouldn't write ; Reagan and the rise of the blockbuster ; The literary candidate
- Epilogue
- Appendix I: a presidential reading list
- Appendix II: an essay on sources and methods.