Martin Van Buren and the American Political System [Paperback]

Donald B. Cole (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 492 pages
• Publisher: Eastern National (June 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159091029X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590910290
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,585,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Judge this book by its title., August 19, 2010

By 

Peter Sprunger (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Martin Van Buren and the American Political System (Paperback)

The title of this book is spot on. It is not for the casual reader but for one truly interested in the history of party politics. After reading this book I have a much better understanding of how the Washington, DC party system works... even though this book deals with events that happened 180 years ago.

Mr. Cole provides an in-depth and well written look at MVB with regards to the political party system that the 8th president worked so hard to create. Ample discussion, without diving into too much grueling detail, is given to his political career as he worked he way up through New York to become Jackson's Vice President and then the Presidency. Little coverage is given to MVB's childhood and adolescence.

The main weakness of this biography is that the coverage of the political system is so in-depth that it skims over the current context of why certain decisions were made and only focuses on why they were made with reference to how it helped the party. The title of the book really does sum it up!