Review of “Washington” by Douglas Southall Freeman (Harwell abridgment)
Richard Harwell’s abridgment of Douglas Southall Freeman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 7-volume series on George Washington was published in 1968, fifteen years …
Tag Archives: presidential biographies
Review of “President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler” by Christopher Leahy
Christopher J. Leahy’s “President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler” was published earlier this year. It is the …
Celebrating 2,750 Days with the Presidents
About 7½ years ago I decided to read as many of the best presidential biographies as I could and to …
Review of “Grant” by Ron Chernow
Ron Chernow’s “Grant” was published in 2017 to almost immediate acclaim and was named a Top 10 Book of the …
Review of “James Monroe: A Life” by Tim McGrath
Released on May 5, “James Monroe: A Life” by Tim McGrath is the first comprehensive exploration of Monroe’s life in …
Getting Right with Lincoln (and Ronald White)
Those of you who have taken some or all of this journey through the best presidential biographies with me know …
Review of “Herbert Hoover in the White House” by Charles Rappleye
“Herbert Hoover in the White House: The Ordeal of the Presidency” by Charles Rappleye was published in 2016, just a …
Happy Presidents’ Day 2020!
About 7 years ago I embarked on a great adventure: to read the best biographies of every U.S. president and …
Review of “Man of Destiny: FDR and the Making of the American Century” by Alonzo Hamby
Alonza Hamby’s “Man of Destiny: FDR and the Making of the American Century” was published in 2015 and is one …
Review of “Thomas Jefferson: A Life” by Willard Sterne Randall
Willard Sterne Randall’s “Thomas Jefferson: A Life” was published in 1993. Randall spent the first seventeen years of his professional …
Review of “James Madison: A Life Reconsidered” by Lynne Cheney
Lynne Cheney’s “James Madison: A Life Reconsidered” was published in 2014, about a year after I read four biographies of …
Review of “John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit” by James Traub
James Traub’s “John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit” was published in 2016, about three years after I read four other biographies …
Review of “American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant” by Ronald C. White
Ronald White’s “American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant” was published in 2016, two years after I spent eight …
44 Presidents, 240 Biographies and One Great Adventure
Just over 6 years ago I set out to read a single great biography for each president. Unfortunately I had …
The Best Biographies of Barack Obama
Barack Obama undoubtedly possesses one of the most complicated – and fascinating – backgrounds of any former president of the …
My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies 