Homes and Libraries of the Presidents (McDonald & Woodward Guide to the American Landscape) [Paperback]

William G. Clotworthy (Author)

Book Description

Series: McDonald & Woodward Guide to the American Landscape | Publication Date: December 1994

Homes and Libraries of the Presidents identifies, describes, and provides sources of additional information to almost one hundred homes, libraries, and museums that commemorate one or more of the presidents of the United States. Each president's life and home is put into personal and historical context. The book has three sections and contains 121 b&w figures and 37 color plates.

Section one provides an overview of the historical significance of presidential homes and museums, discusses restoration and preservation efforts, and traces the federal governments' role, through the National Park Service and the National Archives, in administering and maintaining these sites.

Section two-the most extensive part of the book-presents short anecdotal biographies of each President, followed by a description of the relevant home, museum or library sites. Basic location and access information is also provided for each site.

Section three identifies sources of additional information related to the theme of the book, as well as a list of presidential birthplaces, burial sites, and other attractions associated with the presidents.

Editorial Reviews

Review

History buffs will cherish this well-detailed and -illustrated guide to the places where U.S. presidents were born, lived, are buried, and where applicable, have their archives housed. -- Booklist, April 15, 1996

About the Author

After spending 42 years in the advertising and broadcasting industry, where he worked with such television icons as Groucho Marx, Johnny Carson, and Milton Berle; and spending twelve yearsas censor for "Saturday Night Live" -William Clotworthy retired and began to travel, to lecture, and to write. Now he turns his attention to identifying and describing sites commemorating American presidents-a subject of his own personal interest and one for which he found a lack of solid information as he began his travels across the country. Clotworthy is the author of two books, Homes and Libraries of the Presidents and Presidential Sites: A Directory of Places associated with Presidents of the United States.

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company; 1St Edition edition (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0939923327
• ISBN-13: 978-0939923328
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,396,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone looking for the most up to date information possible on the post-administration lives of the presidents, June 14, 2008

By 

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

This review is from: Homes and Libraries of the Presidents - Third Edition (Homes & Libraries of the Presidents) (Paperback)

Presidents don't just drop off the face of the earth when their term ends! "Homes and Libraries of the Presidents" takes a look at the homes, libraries, and other endeavors of the presidents. In a newly revised third addition, Homes and Libraries of the Presidents" contains new information that is promoted as less than a week old when the book went to press. A must for anyone looking for the most up to date information possible on the post-administration lives of the presidents, "Homes and Libraries of the Presidents" is highly recommended for community library reference shelves.

2 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Really Unique, May 14, 2004

By 

Butterscotch (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homes and Libraries of the Presidents (McDonald & Woodward Guide to the American Landscape) (Paperback)

I didn't read the entire book, and most people I would guess also wouldn't read it cover to cover. This book is more like a travel guide to the burial sites, libraries, and birth homes of the presidents. I was interested in the book to see if there were any presidential sites near me (there are only 2), so the usefulness of this book was limited by the fact that I cannot visit 99% of the places discussed. For each of the presidents the author gives a brief snapshot of the person. There is about 1-2 pages devoted to each of the `lesser known' presidents and about 5-10 pages for the likes of Washington, Lincoln, etc. You are also given travel information - city/street maps to locate the places (which aren't very helpful), and museum hours, admissions, etc. The best part of the book were the color photos of the presidents' homes and the US map that shows the distribution of the presidential monuments. I'm not really sure I even get the purpose of this book - it doesn't offer any information that is new or interesting. I wouldn't recommend this book because all of the information it contains can be found with far better accuracy and depth on the Internet; via the museum or library websites you would get much more background information about the President you need information on with up-to-date info on hours, admissions, etc. *This review is for the 1995 edition*