From Mount Vernon to Crawford: A History of the Presidents and Their Retreats [Hardcover]

Kenneth T. Walsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2005

From the chief White House correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, a fascinating and unique look at our presidents' retreats, hideaways, and homes.

In Air Force One, Kenneth T. Walsh looked at presidential history from the unusual and illuminating vantage point of the presidents' planes. Now he focuses on the various retreats where our commanders-in-chief have gone to escape the hustle and bustle of Washington, chronicling the important decisions that were made and the historic events that have occurred at them. Moreover, he describes what these sites reveal about the characters of the presidents and the times in which they lived.

From George Washington (Mount Vernon) to George W. Bush (Crawford ranch), from FDR (Hyde Park) to JFK (Hyannisport), almost every single president has had a beloved place where he could really be himself. Based on Walsh's interviews with four of the living presidents, as well as scores of officials and staff, From Mount Vernon to Crawford is a fascinating glimpse into this largely unexamined facet of American government.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Capitalizing on the popularity of Air Force One (2003), journalist Walsh again taps the celebrity-type interest in the trappings of the American presidency--this time in the incumbents' escape destinations from Washington. An anecdote-driven amble, Walsh's tour describes the decor, amenities, menus, and similar trivia. Of more historical relevance, Walsh, who for two decades past has held the White House beat for U.S. News & World Report, explores the recuperative value to presidents of getting out of Washington, and what they've done when out of town. Walsh crafts this information, which encompasses the entertaining, recreational, gustatory, and bibulous habits of vacationing chief executives, into reflections of their personalities. Gregarious ones such as LBJ and Clinton kept a crowd around, while introverts such as Nixon and Reagan cultivated solitude. Either way, official business often intruded, and Walsh narrates^B the momentous decisions presidents have made while down on a ranch or up at Camp David. Looking at every president since FDR, plus Washington, Jefferson, the two Adamses, and Lincoln, Walsh succeeds in sating popular curiosity in presidents' private lives. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"An entertaining and illuminating survey of presidential retreats that combines historical research with on-the-job reporting." -- Washington Post

"Walsh succeeds in sating popular curiosity in presidents' private lives." -- Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; First Edition edition (May 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401301215
• ISBN-13: 978-1401301217
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,521,194 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kenneth T. Walsh is a prize-winning journalist who has covered the White House since 1986, including the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

Walsh has won the most prestigious awards for White House coverage and is former president of the White House Correspondents' Association. He is Hurst professorial adjunct lecturer in communication at American University in Washington, D.C. and appears frequently on television and radio. He also is a popular speaker who gives talks around the country and on cruise ships. Walsh has written five books.

A native of New York City who spent nearly a decade as a reporter and editor in Denver, Walsh is married to Barclay Walsh and they live in Bethesda, Maryland. They have two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Interesting As It Gets..., May 8, 2005

By 

David A. Howarth "dooleynoted" (Grove City, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Mount Vernon to Crawford: A History of the Presidents and Their Retreats (Hardcover)

Considering the amount of information this book about presidential retreats contains, I was amazed at how easy and exciting it was to read. The author keeps an interesting pace, but he packs every paragraph with new information about the places our Commanders-in-chief have frequented beyond the White House gate. From George Washington to George Bush, each chapter is a fascinating and in-depth account of our major president's hideaways and getaways. Every location reveals fascinating facts and insight into the inner workings of our leaders as human beings in their most authentic and vulnerable moments.

The history and development of Camp David is a chapter worth the price of this book in itself. This isolated location, so close to the U.S. seat of power, is the one place where every modern president has been able to unbend entirely. Perhaps ironically, it has also been the site for some of the most intense and successful international detante in modern history. It was after intense meetings at Camp David that George W. Bush made the fateful decision to "put boots on the ground" in Afghanistan. Yet each weekend the president and his family can read, swim or fish in privacy and comfort, away from D.C. and the media spotlight.

Mr. Walsh has produced an excellent, intelligent book - easy to read and digest. I learned some great things and could not recommend it more.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Camp David "veteran" reports, September 1, 2005

By 

Fred C. Lash - See all my reviews
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This review is from: From Mount Vernon to Crawford: A History of the Presidents and Their Retreats (Hardcover)

Having served at Camp David from 1975 to 1977 as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Security Company, I was extremely interested in what Mr. Walsh had to write about the official "Presidential Retreat"....I was reminded of the day when a much younger Richard Cheney (then Chief of Staff to President Ford) and his wife Lynn got stuck in heavy snow as they were driving to the camp in a VW Beetle...the Sgt. of the Guard and I went to their aid in a jeep and got then safely to Camp David!...President Carter loved playing softball and would occasionally form some of his Secret Service agents and pilots into a team and play the Marines...if I recall correctly, the Leathernecks usually managed to come out on top!...anyway, Mr. Walsh's research certainly paid off as he is right on target in describing the Naval Support Facility, Thurmont, Maryland....for someone interested in a combination of American history and presidential politics. this book is a must.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great History Without Cynicism, May 10, 2005

By 

Andrew Plattner (Annapolis, Maryland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: From Mount Vernon to Crawford: A History of the Presidents and Their Retreats (Hardcover)

One of the few great teachers I had in college made history come to life with timely anectodes. Ken Walsh provides rich and fascinating lessons about American presidents with great stories that are both fun to read and amazingly revealing about the men who have been our presidents.

He presents us with an easy read that is, thankfully, devoid of the cynicism that permeates today's journalism. And he does so without fawning over any of his subjects.

His treatment, for example, of Richard Nixon's western White House in San Clemente helps us understand the crazed complexity that was Nixon. Or the way he describes Gerald Ford's skiing vacations in Vail with photographers only interested in capturing the inevitable spills in the snow, shows the impossibility of being both presidennt and 'normal.'

Or his contrast between two contemporary presidents returning to their land -- Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush -- demonstrates ultimately the values of both men.

This is a book worth reading, worth sharing, worth giving to friends and family.