Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt (Paperback)

~ David McCullough (Author) "IN THE YEAR 1869, when the population of New York City had reached nearly a million, the occupants of 28 East 20th Street, a five-story..." (more)
Key Phrases: orthopedic hospital, direst suffering, strange and terrible fate, New York, Oyster Bay, Bad Lands (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

John Leonard The New York Times We have no better social historian. -- Review

Review

Denver PostA fine account of Roosevelt's rise to manhood, well written and, like its subject, full of irrepressible vitality.

Detroit NewsThis is a marvelous chronicle of manners and morals, love and duty, and as captivating as anything you will find between book covers in a long while.

John LeonardThe New York TimesWe have no better social historian.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (May 12, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671447548
• ISBN-13: 978-0671447540
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,309 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Books > History > United States > 19th Century > Turn of the Century
  #3 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( R ) > Roosevelt, Theodore
  #12 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Political Science > Leaders & Leadership

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

166 of 170 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family reveals so very much, September 2, 1998

By	L. Carter "Steiffbearlover" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book after reading the Pulitzer-Prize winning "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt", another excellent biography of TR. When I started "Mornings On Horseback", I felt that I was armed with more information about this President than I had going into "Rise"; however, once I completed "Mornings", I realized that I was armed with an entirely different type of knowledge. David McCullough gets us into the Roosevelt house and makes the people in TR's life come alive. "Nurture" is a vital componant of anyone's development and in this book, one sees just how family shapes a great personality such as his. To truly understand TR from a historical perspective one must examine his roots. This book is a joy to read, very informative and well-paced.

130 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible - - - wish it didn't end where it does, September 27, 2000

By	C. D. MYERS (Fairfax, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

McCullough has done another outstanding job with this book. I first read McCullough's Pulitzer winning bio on Truman. The only flaw with this view on Teddy is that I WISH IT WERE AS LONG AS THE ONE ON TRUMAN!!! He's done an excellent job as a story-teller, yet from the bibliography, you can see that he has done the necessary research to make this a first rate study on Roosevelt's early life.

Following this, I've read "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt", by Edmund Morris. Yes, he is the same gentleman who recently penned "Dutch: A memoir of Ronald Reagan". While "Rise" was given a Pulitzer, like McCullough's bio of Truman, I must say that it didn't "set" as well with me as this one. While both stop roughly mid-life for Teddy (early life to pre-Presidency), I judge "Mornings" to be the superior work. The level of detail in "Mornings", and the overall readability of the prose struck me as superior.

As an aside, I have just currently read "TR: The Last Romantic" and while this is an engaging book and not as hero-worshipping as either Morris or McCullough, the book's reliance on almost all TR quotes, or a slight few that are related to TR, becomes jarring.

All told, if you have a young son or daughter who has great potential and you'd like to set before them a shining example of a fine American; physically, mentally, and spiritually, then there is not a finer book I could recommend than McCullough's "Mornings on Horseback".

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mornings on Horseback debunks Roosevelt myths, June 4, 1997

By A Customer

David McCullough is a master at revealing history as it truly took place, and people as they truly were. His account of Teddy Roosevelt's remarkably innocent childhood debunks the myths that have long clouded Roosevelt biographies. While TR would grow to be a fearless Rough Rider and a President who took on corporate monopolies, he began his life as a pathetically weak, asthmatic boy clammering for his parents' attention. It was through the love, rather demanding at times, of Roosevelt's wonderfully demonstrative father that Teddy grew into his tough adult self. Mornings on Horseback challenges the notion that yesterday was more idyllic than today. Though Roosevelt had a close family, they did not remain unscathed by the Civil War, nor by illnesses that have since fled the earth. Throughout it all, it was their sense of family, as well as their great self-motivation to improve the lot of the world, that pushed them beyond misfortune. McCullough is a patient historian. He does not abide by myths, or falsehoods. His prying beneath the historical record is done with sound tools of investigation. Throughout it all, his voice is so entrancing, and his capture of detail so intricate, that we come to feel that we truly understand his subjects. When they are tossed about by fate, we regard their misfortunes with empathy. McCullough knows how to make history as readable as fiction.