Get your lists ready for the Holiday gift-giving season because now you have another excellent book to give:
Rick Beyer's The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told:100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy.
Warning: Guard this book with your life. This is a book that people WILL steal.
Written in an easy-to-read style, Beyer delivers fascinating facts about US presidents most of us have never before read.
QUESTION: Do you think a small girl influenced Abraham Lincoln to change his appearance? Did he always wear a beard?
QUESTION: Do you know the name of the man who was president before George Washington?
QUESTION: Do you know the man who was president for a day?
QUESTION: Have you ever been to Wessyington, D.C.? (And you thought the city got its name from George, didn't you?)
QUESTION: We are all familiar with the practice of the Presidential handshake: the President presses the flesh of those around him, regardless of social stature. Was it always this way? Do you know what social custom existed before the handshake? Do you know that the handshake is another shining example of American democracy? And, as a bonus, do you know which early President inaugurated the practice of shaking hands?
* * *
Here is a gem from Beyer's book, from one of Boston's (or, should I say, from one of Quincy's own boys:)
John Quincy Adams was regarded as a straitlaced president, in nearly all regards. He did, however, make a habit of skinny dipping in the Potomac.
"New York political leader Thurlow Weed wanted to see one of the sunrise swims for himself. He secretly observed the president leaving the White House one morning before daybreak. Adams began to shed his clothes before he even got to the river, tied them in a bundle and jumped in....Another memorable morning, Adams...had a servant named Antoine row him across the Potomac in an old boat, planning to swim back. When a sudden squall blew up, the leaky boat capsized in the middle of the river, dumping both men overboard. They managed to swim to the opposite bank, but both men were exhausted. Antoine had lost all of his clothes...Adams gave his clothes to Antoine and sent him to fetch a carriage...[and] the president got in some 'naked basking on the bank.' "
Though this seems to be a humorous incident now, neither Adams nor his wife thought it funny at the time. This incident, however, did not stop Adams from continuing to skinny dip in the Potomac.
A terrific book, just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, or any time of the year. A great book to grace any one's shelf or coffee table.
An excellent book and a MUST read.
