On the night of November 4, 2008, Barack Obama addressed the nation as the first African American to be elected president of the United States. It was the end of a race that had gripped the country more than any other. Every likely candidate would be a first in the White House, whether by race (Obama) or gender (Senator Hillary Clinton, Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin). This detailed scrapbook recreates one of the most inspiring presidential races in U.S. history. Tucked among the pages is a treasure trove of memorabilia: souvenir replicas such as buttons, press passes, bumper stickers, posters, tickets, and more are set against a vivid narrative, historical photographs, and images from the campaign trail. You ll read the full text of Senator Obama s electrifying keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and his American Promise speech from 2008, when he accepted the Democratic nomination.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From The Washington Post
From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com Everything's coming up Obama these days, everywhere you turn; even your Metrocard is now presidentially collectible. It's too bad that through lack of foresight the inauguration happens so early in the year: A few months from now, the cherry trees along the Tidal Basin will surely be putting out Obamablossoms. For those whose appetite for Barackabilia has yet to be sated, Barack Obama: 44th President, by Avery Krut (Whitman, $49.95), may be just the ticket. Not so much a book as a cupboard between hard covers, it is full of tickets, bumper stickers, reprints of speeches, penciled letters from admiring kids and all sorts of other electioneering byproducts, each tucked into its own envelope-like slot. My favorite page, however, is one without a prize to be extracted: a photo of a mock swearing-in of Obama as a U.S. senator on January 5, 2005. (The actual ceremony took place the day before.) Administering the mock-oath is Vice President Dick Cheney, whose affable grin suggests he has no idea what he has set in motion. Once the man of the hour is ensconced in the White House, his wife, Michelle, might want to prepare herself for the letters she will get (along with e-mails, textings, twitters and other cybercorrespondence) by perusing Dear First Lady: Letters to the White House from the Collections of the Library of Congress & National Archives, by Dwight Young and Margaret Johnson (National Geographic, $25). There are tragic notes: Lyndon Johnson writing to former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy shortly after her husband's assassination to express his admiration for the way she was bearing up, and assuring her, "I only wish things could be different -- that I didn't have to be here." And there are amusing ones, such as the president of the Auto Dismantlers Association of Southern California writing Mrs. Johnson to inform her that he is stung by her "criticism of the appearance of many of the nation's auto dismantling yards"; he angles for an invite to the upcoming White House Conference on Natural Beauty as a way of making amends. Missing from the book, however, are any letters written to one of the most colorful first ladies of all: Lucy Webb Hayes, known as Lemonade Lucy for her insistence on teetotaling by everyone inside the White House. My high school American history teacher liked to relate how rebellious guests used to get the better of Her Lemonadeness: slipping outside to booze with a vengeance, ending up "stacked like cordwood on the White House lawn." Out beyond the White House lawn and the Tidal Basin live The Americans, as seen in a photography book of the same name by Robert Frank (Steidl, $39.95). Reissued to mark the 50th anniversary of its first publication, The Americans collects pictures taken by the Swiss-born photographer in 1955 and '56, when he was bankrolled by a Guggenheim grant. Some of the scenes have a time-capsule quality: a man getting a shoeshine in an anything-but-fancy bathroom; a lunch counter full-up with patrons sitting beneath "Orange Whip 10 cents" signs; convertibles pointed at a drive-in movie screen. It was an era when men wore hats, women wore furs, and jukeboxes were the size of phone booths. Jack Kerouac sums up the work's effect in his rampaging introduction: "Robert Frank . . . unobtrusive, nice, with that little camera that he raises and snaps with one hand he sucked a sad poem right out of America onto film, taking rank among the tragic poets of the world." An exhibition of Frank's photos has just opened at the National Gallery. Nothing comes tumbling out of 100 American Flags: A Unique Collection of Old Glory Memorabilia, collection and design by Kit Hinrichs, text by Delphine Hirasuna, photography by Terry Heffernan (Ten Speed, $19.95). But its still photos show that today's Obamapreneurs are only upholding an honored tradition of patriotic kitsch. How can you not savor the flag-embossed poker chips and the deck of Victory playing cards with Uncle Sam as the king, Miss Liberty as the queen and Adolf Hitler as the joker? Not to mention the antiwar flag from the Vietnam War era on which silhouetted bombers take the place of the stars and rifles stand in for the bars. Lemonade Lucy would have been appalled at the use to which a flag was put after the U.S. triumph at the Battle of Manila in 1898: adorning a celebratory whiskey flask.
Copyright 2009, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2009, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Collectors Dream,
By Soapsuds "MC" (El Paso, TX USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Barack Obama Presidential Collector's Vault (Hardcover)
This item makes a great collector's item. You can also buy one or two extra sets and give them away as a memorable gift.
The "Barack Obama 44th President Collectors Vault" by Avery Krut is a hardcover book. The book slips inside a box. The box has the same full color image as the book; it is used for storage or display. The book is 11" tall by 12 1/2" wide. The book, with the slip-in box, weights 4 lbs. and 9.70 oz. "Barack Obama Presidential Vault" contains 142 pages. Almost every other five to ten pages include a double,heavy weight, paper jacket. The jackets are filled with different mementos such as campaign buttons of Barack Obama and Joe Bidden. There are campaign stickers, campaign photos, and documents. Some of the jackets contain real 4X7 photographs of Barack Obama and his wife. There are a multitude of collectibles packed in each jacket. Some collectible mementos and photographs,individually, are worth the cost of the book itself. Many color photographs accompany the "Barack Obama 44th President Collectors Vault." You will also find one or two photos of Sarah Palin and John McCain. Text descriptions describe the photos and mementos included in the various jackets. The book is well-made and author, Avery Krut, made the book to be read. However, the reader must be careful in flipping the pages. The pages are filled with, not only the history of Barack Obama and his campaign to the presidency, but with the various jackets which are filled with different and varied mementos. As with any collector's items of any kind, the book must be handled with care. The Table of Contents is as follows: Prologue The Early Years From Illinois to Washington Answering the Call The Presidential Candidate Yes We Can Epilogue On the last page of this magnificent `Book Collectors Vault' the reader will find an order form to "Order a Piece of History" which includes an 8X10 Commemorative Inauguration photo of the 44th President for only $10 including postage. The "Barack Obama Presidential Vault" by Avery Krut is a must for everyone and especially for memorabilia collectors.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXACTLY WHAT U HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR,
By Delisa Ammar "Delisa" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Barack Obama Presidential Collector's Vault (Hardcover)
I have been searching for an item which would capture Obama's life and it has just been very difficult. There has been so many that claim to, but you just don't get the feeling that it does.
I happened up on this collector's vault in a Barnes & Noble store, and immediately knew that this was what I was looking for. After going through a few pages, I got so excited that I didn't want to put it down. The cost was $49.99, but I decided to see if I can get it for less. But if you're looking for a collector's item that captures everything, this is it. The children will have fun looking at all the buttons, stickers, pictures and all the fun Obama stuff located in the pockets on the pages. The book itself comes in a case, and the whole presentation is absolutely beautiful. I am planning on buying a few for my family and friends. If you're looking for the perfect collector's item, this is it.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An extraordinary book of an extraordinary time,
By
This review is from: Barack Obama Presidential Collector's Vault (Hardcover)
Had I but one book I could purchase this year, Avery Krut's Barack Obama Presidential Vault would be it.
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