Heads of State: The Presidents as Everyday Useful Household Items in Pewter, Plastic, Porcelain, Copper, Chalk, China, Wax, Walnut and More (Hardcover)

by Carl Sferrazza Anthony (Author) "WHETHER IT WAS FOUR-TERM FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT or one-term Franklin Pierce, the presidents have always been America's ultimate celebrities-famous, powerful, and (even if only as..." (more)
Key Phrases: White House, United States, Van Buren (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
There's room for only four presidents' heads on Mount Rushmore, but Heads of State more than makes up for those presidents who aren't carved in stone, and still includes Washington (as a thimble), Jefferson (as a vase), Lincoln (as a paper clip), and Roosevelt (as a whistle)!

Since the earliest days of the presidency, the American people have either loved or loved to hate their president. And in the American spirit of entrepreneurship, some have used their know-how to merge commemoration with commerce, creating mass-produced, marketable household items that bring the president's face into every home. Heads of State celebrates these objects, highlighting through lively text and extensive research the humorous, sometimes strikingly apt parallels between the chief executives and the objects used to portray them. It's the perfect book for anyone fascinated by politics, Americana, and the way in which presidents have been memorialized, satirized, romanticized, and worshipped by the very people they serve.


About the Author
Carl Sferrazza Anthony is a former speechwriter for Nancy Reagan and contributing editor at George magazine. He has authored eight books on presidential family history, and his work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Vanity Fair. Anthony appears regularly as a political commentator on Nightline, Larry King, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and CBS nightly news programs. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (October 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582345120
• ISBN-13: 978-1582345123
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,017,393 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Amusing, enjoyable, entertaining, pleasurable, cool ... fun, August 18, 2008

By	Book Lover (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heads of State: The Presidents as Everyday Useful Household Items in Pewter, Plastic, Porcelain, Copper, Chalk, China, Wax, Walnut and More (Hardcover)

Oh my! I saw there was only one review of this fine and funny little book, and it seems to have come from the sorest of the soreheads. If one cannot gain enormous pleasure from the chuckles at the many "jokes" here, one might find satisfaction with this little tome as a profound exploration of and comment on the ingenuity of American entrepreneurs. Bravo Mr. Anthony! And thanks for this sweet gift from a good and true American historian.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Stupid and Stupider, January 18, 2008

By	Mark Twain (Anytown, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heads of State: The Presidents as Everyday Useful Household Items in Pewter, Plastic, Porcelain, Copper, Chalk, China, Wax, Walnut and More (Hardcover)

This has got to be the stupidest book ever written on the planet! Who the hell cares about presidents as "useful" household items???? I put "" around useful because they're not really useful items. We received this as a Christmas gift... it is now a huge joke around our house. I feel like I've been punk'd by my 65-year-old aunt who got this for us! Seriously! Who buys this crap??!! Not any normal, sane human being!