Customer Reviews

The American President

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Probrably one of the best books I have encountered that centers on U.S. Presidents. The way the book groups the chief executives worked well and made for better reading compared to the way most books list them in order. The photographs were many I had never encountered before in my readings and definitely added to the content. I am a history graduate from college and this was a definite plus for my reading collection.

This is a fantastic book that you can lose yourself in for hours, as I did when I first picked it up. The pictures are fascinating, and the history that leaps from this book's pages will mesmerize you. It will give you a great admiration for this country, our history, and our presidency. Even the long-forgotten, "boring" presidents spring to life via the stories of their personal struggles and idiosyncracies. The book is well organized and beautifully presented. Well worth the cover price!

This book is must-reading and must-owning for any lover of American history. Many of the pictures are rare or unknown. The text reads like a dream, and the categorization of the Presidents is thoughtful and thought-provoking. I'm buying copies for every student of history or government on my holiday shopping list. This book accompanies a TV series which is coming early next year. The more time you spend with the book ahead of time, the more you and yours will get out of the TV series. This same trio of authors produced the extraordinary documentary/book on Lincoln. This is every bit as fine.

My parents just bought me this book for Christmas, and I can't put it down. I'm 10 years old, and my class has to remember the names of the presidents (in order!) by President's day.

Every one of the stories I've read so far are really interesting - like William Henry Harrison getting sick giving his first speech and dying in a month! The pictures are great, and I'm already explaining things to my parents.

We looked at a kid's book about the presidents first. It had about a page per president, and wasn't that interesting. This is the PERFECT BOOK for a kid who has any interest in American history.

The American President is a fascinating look at all 42 presidents of the United States. The information is solid and reliable and the book is so well written it is difficult to put down. Even if you can't read the book is worth buying for the beautiful and revealing pictures.

This book is one of those rare finds that you get to buy from time to time, that would be worth twice the price to have. It is well written, well researched, and most interesting and informative to read. It is written in everyday terms, and is a standout for both content and phtography. It does not even come across as either right or left,nor is it Republican or Demorcrat. It is written right down the middle of the political road. It does not take sides, nor does it pull any punches about any of the presidents. I found it difficult to put down as soon as I started it. What wonderful history; especially since it seems to lift itself right off the pages and place you there with each president. The old pictures are a charm, and wonderfully round off the text. I have never been so facinated with the lives and times of our presidents, before I bought this book. I highly recommend this book for all those interested in our chief executives, as well as the times in which they lived and served as the chief executive. There is not one single thing that I can find wrong with this book. My only other comment, is that I hope that the authors have other similar projects on the front burner for the near future.

As a collection of photographs and art, this book is superb. The series of photos of Warren Harding posing dramatically tell you a great deal about the man, while the engraving of Washington playing the flute is properly mind-bending. And yes, the organizational device does, in and of itself, spark the mind to some interesting considerations of the ties that bind these men.

The text itself, however, is a disappointment, which is perhaps no surprise: this is after all the companion volume to a TV show, so I suppose I can't complain too much that the visuals are terrific but the content is on the thin side. (And that the emphasis is overwhelmingly on personalities rather than policies.) What else would it be?

As an overview, then, for someone just beginning to look into the American presidency, this volume has a lot to recommend it. But if you already have some familiarity with most of these men (as I do, after a rather odd 5th-grade obsession) then there really isn't anything new to be found in the chapters. If you want a stellar collection of photographs then, without reservation, the book is terrific. If you want something more substantial about the men who have been president, you might want to look elsewhere.

As a Canadian, I cannot fully judge on the accuracy of all information presented in this massive tome, but I can say that it is a most enjoyable read. You'll find that when you start to flip through this BIG book, you'll have a hard time putting it down.

The presentation is not chronological and it made for interesting comparison of the 41 men who've risen to the top of American politics. The photos... oh the photos! This is an outstanding collection and the book is well worth the purchase for the photo essays alone. Some of these pictures, I've seen - we've all seen 'em, they're famous - but the vast majority are not oft seen images, many of them presenting a most personal side to each man.

I learned lots I didn't know about American politics and the office of the President in general. This is a book to have for the library. A great reference and a great read.

This is a very well written and well read book on tape. The authors tell you a brief description of each of the American presidents from Washington to Clinton. Because there is a lot of material to cover in four cassette tapes, it is a BRIEF summary of each president's term in office. At the same time, it is a fascinating story that analyzes and draws parallels between presidents who served decades or centuries apart. Instead of going chronologically through each presidency, the authors have broken it down into several chapters. Each chapter has a theme such as accidental presidents - or vice-presidents who became president after an assassination or unexpected death. Then each of the presidents who fit in that category are described in that chapter. It was very easy to follow and very interesting to hear the parallels between presidents so many years apart. Because it is a brief history of each president, you will find many places where you can stop the tape and come back to it again later. It's not an action story though, so it might not keep you awake if you are driving late at night. I mostly listened to it during daylight driving hours when I didn't need the radio to help keep me awake.

I got the CD version of TAP so I could learn something during my commute to work. This CD is exactly what I wanted. I learned a lot and enjoyed it. I think that anyone but a history major will find a lot of new material in this CD. After trying Dan Rather's "The 20th Century", I was afraid that this would be another superficial and expensive waste of time. Nope. This is more than worthwhile. Now I'm back at Amazon to see what other CDs the authors have done.