"One of the best books on the American presidency to appear in recent years." -Thomas Mallon, The Wall Street Journal "Fun and fascinating...It's witty, charming, and fantastically learned. I loved it." -Rick Perlstein Based on a decade of research and reporting, Author in Chief tells the story of America's presidents as authors-and offers a delightful new window into the public and private lives of our highest leaders. Most Americans are familiar with Abraham Lincoln's famous words in the Gettysburg Address and the ...
Read More
"One of the best books on the American presidency to appear in recent years." -Thomas Mallon, The Wall Street Journal "Fun and fascinating...It's witty, charming, and fantastically learned. I loved it." -Rick Perlstein Based on a decade of research and reporting, Author in Chief tells the story of America's presidents as authors-and offers a delightful new window into the public and private lives of our highest leaders. Most Americans are familiar with Abraham Lincoln's famous words in the Gettysburg Address and the Eman cipation Proclamation. Yet few can name the work that helped him win the presidency: his published collection of speeches entitled Political Debates between Hon. Abraham Lincoln and Hon. Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln labored in secret to get his book ready for the 1860 election, tracking down newspaper transcripts, editing them carefully for fairness, and hunting for a printer who would meet his specifications. Political Debates sold fifty thousand copies-the rough equivalent of half a million books in today's market-and it reveals something about Lincoln's presidential ambitions. But it also reveals something about his heart and mind. When voters asked about his beliefs, Lincoln liked to point them to his book. In Craig Fehrman's groundbreaking work of history, Author in Chief, the story of America's presidents and their books opens a rich new window into presidential biography. From volumes lost to history-Calvin Coolidge's Autobiography, which was one of the most widely discussed titles of 1929-to ones we know and love-Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father, which was very nearly never published-Fehrman unearths countless insights about the presidents through their literary works. 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, and John Adams's Autobiography, the first score-settling presiden tial memoir, Author in Chief draws on newly uncovered information-including never-before-published letters from Andrew Jackson, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan-to cast fresh light on the private drives and self-doubts that fueled our nation's leaders. We see Teddy Roosevelt as a vulnerable first-time author, struggling to write the book that would become a classic of American history. We see Reagan painstakingly revising Where's the Rest of Me?, a forgotten memoir in which he sharpened his sunny political image. We see Donald Trump negotiating the deal for The Art of the Deal, the volume that made him synonymous with business savvy. Alongside each of these authors, we also glimpse the everyday Americans who read them. Combining the narrative felicity of a journalist with the rigorous scholarship of a historian, Fehrman delivers a feast for history lovers, book lovers, and everybody curious about a behind-the-scenes look at our presidents.
Read Less
Add this copy of Author in Chief: the Untold Story of Our Presidents and to cart. $1.21, fair condition, Sold by Books For Life rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Laurel, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. Book is in acceptable condition. May have shelf wear edge wear and spine wear but a very readable copy. May not come with supplemental materials if applicable. Does not include original dustcover jacket. Possibly Ex Library Copy.
Add this copy of Author in Chief: the Untold Story of Our Presidents and to cart. $1.25, fair condition, Sold by Once Upon A Time Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tontitown, AR, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schu.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair in fair dust jacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket.
Add this copy of Author in Chief: the Untold Story of Our Presidents and to cart. $1.26, very good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. . All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofit job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
Add this copy of Author in Chief: the Untold Story of Our Presidents and to cart. $1.26, good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Former Library book. All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofit job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
Add this copy of Author in Chief: the Untold Story of Our Presidents and to cart. $1.71, good condition, Sold by Your Online Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Houston, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.
Add this copy of Author in Chief: the Untold Story of Our Presidents and to cart. $2.01, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.
Add this copy of Author in Chief: the Untold Story of Our Presidents and to cart. $2.01, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.
Add this copy of Author in Chief: the Untold Story of Our Presidents and to cart. $2.01, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.
Add this copy of Author in Chief: the Untold Story of Our Presidents and to cart. $2.30, good condition, Sold by Blue Vase Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Interlochen, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Former library book with the usual stamps, stickers and labels. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Add this copy of Author in Chief: the Untold Story of Our Presidents and to cart. $2.80, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schu.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
