Dear First Lady: Letters to the White House [Paperback]

Dwight Young (Editor), Margaret Johnson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2009

Following on the success of their collaboration Dear Mr. President, Dwight Young and Margaret Johnson joined forces again to produce this charming collection of correspondence to and from First Ladies during their time in the White House. A wonderful gift book for any American, Dear First Lady reminds us that ours is a great government "of the people, by the people, and for the people," which entitles us to make our views known to our leaders. While some of these missives were written by the famous or the infamous, most are from ordinary Americans who wished to connect with their First Lady. Amusing, appealing, heartbreaking, and heartwarming, the letters appear as full-size facsimiles so readers can see for themselves the substance and style of these intriguing exchanges.

Richly illustrated with archival photography and images, Dear First Lady paints a fascinating portrait of American culture and a behind-the-scenes look inside the White House.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–9—Young and Johnson provide a glimpse into America's political and social history through letters received and written by the presidents' wives. Images of original correspondences appear opposite narratives that provide accessible historical context. Additional drawings and photographs enhance the visual experience. The letters range in content from politically significant to personally insightful. Dolley Madison describes her famed 1814 flight from the White House during the War of 1812 and dramatic rescue of Washington's portrait to her sister. Queen Victoria comforts Mary Todd Lincoln after her husband's assassination. Jane Pierce writes elaborate messages to her dead son, revealing the fragility of her grief-stricken mind. Sometimes, the letters provide an opportunity to notice contradictions present in these famous women. Eleanor Roosevelt denounces the racial discrimination practiced by the Daughters of the American Revolution, and on the next page makes excuses for the policy of Japanese Internment. What emerges is not only a portrait of the privilege and power of these women, but also a palpable sense of their humanity. A few of the letters are neither politically nor personally significant and one wonders why they were included. The occasional triviality of the subject matter, as well as the book's lack of index, make it an enjoyable example of anecdotal history rather than a source for serious research. While the original documents give the book an appealing primary-source quality, the handwritten words are often hard to decipher. The authors provide transcriptions for selected letters at the back of the book. A vibrant, but not vital, addition to most collections.—Emma Burkhart, formerly at The Winsor School, Boston, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Dwight Young is the author of Alternatives to Sprawl, Saving America’s Treasures, and the bestselling Dear Mr. President.

Margaret Johnson is an illustrations researcher. She has contributed to several National Geographic books, including Dear Mr. President, and An America Idea: the Making of the National Parks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (April 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426204108
• ISBN-13: 978-1426204104
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 0.7 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,206,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > History > Europe > Iceland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY THE BOOK, May 2, 2008

By 

Joseph A. Kengor (Somewhereville, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dear First Lady: Letters to the White House (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my 99 year old mother. I thought it would be a good Mother's Day gift. At my Mom's age, she's been familiar with a whole lot of first ladies. I had heard about it on NPR.
I was disappointed with the layout of the book when I opened it. The author's present the original letter (hand written mostly) on the left page, then followed by comments about it starting on the right page and beyond.
What I want prospective buyers to be aware of is - most of these letters are handwritten, and in a lot of cases, very hard to read. I assumed the authors would have transcribed these handwritten letters into type, so they would be easier to read. Some of the letters I couldn't decipher at all. Some are shown on yellowed paper in handwriting from before 1900.
So the 3 star rating is not based on the content of the book, but on the layout.
I'm not sure I'm going to give this book to my Mom now, she might not enjoy it because not knowing what the letters say kind of kills the whole idea.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The wives of American presidents have been impressively diverse in personality, May 8, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dear First Lady: Letters to the White House (Hardcover)

The wives of American presidents have been impressively diverse in personality and their interpretations of the role of 'First Lady' of the nation. Now for the first time in our political history we have a former First Lady actively seeking to become president in her own right -- which would make her husband, a former president, our unprecedented 'First Gentleman'. "Dear First Lady: Letters To The White House From The Collections Of The Library Of Congress & National Archives" is the collaborative work of Dwight Young (Senior Communications Associate, national Trust for Historic Preservation) and Margaret Johnson (researcher, editor, and author of four previous titles for the National Geographic Society). Profusely illustrated with historic photos and full-size facsimiles of the original correspondences, readers are treated to an informative, intimate 'window' into the lives and concerns of these women and the people who wrote them letters that range from the amusing, to the tragic, to the heartwarming. From British artist John Trumbull informing Martha Washington that is he sending her an engraving of one of his portraits of her husband (which engraving still hangs in Mount Vernon today), to Queen Victoria offering consolation to Mary Todd Lincoln, to a girl with a pen pal in India asking Jacqueline Kennedy if she can accompany the first lady on a trip to that country, to Laura Bush writing a letter to the children of American after 9/11 to reassure them that people love and care about them and are looking out for their safety, "Letters To The White House" is a compendium of bits of heretofore obscure White House history that spans two hundred years. Simply stated, every school and community library should have on their shelves for the benefit of their students and patrons a copy of "Letters To The White House.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It does include transcriptions!, June 29, 2008

By 

mpqtpie "mpqtpie" (Winter Park, Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dear First Lady: Letters to the White House (Hardcover)

This is in response to another reviewer's post. The book DOES include transcriptions of the hard-to-decipher letters--it's in a section towards the back of the book. I highly recommend this book as a gift. I heard about it on NPR too and I am giving it to my grandma as a birthday present. This is a slightly oversized book (somewhere between a coffee table sized and regular sized hardcover) with smooth glossy pages. It looks quite deluxe and all pages are full color. The font is a pleasant size for reading and the layouts are gorgeous. I highly recommend it!