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Oval Office Oddities: An Irreverent Collection of Presidential Facts, Follies, and Foibles
 
 
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Oval Office Oddities: An Irreverent Collection of Presidential Facts, Follies, and Foibles [Paperback]

Bill Fawcett (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Price: $14.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

February 19, 2008

Every four years Americans go to the polls to elect a leader—a personage of unimpeachable sobriety and moral standing who will serve as a paragon for the rest of us. But truth be told, presidents and their families are people too—with quirks and character flaws like everyone else . . . and plenty of skeletons rattling around in their closets. Oval Office Oddities is a grand compendium of fascinating, sometimes embarrassing presidential facts, gaffes, and oddball behaviors—available in plenty of time for Election Day!

White House Whoopee: We've all heard about the dalliances of Clinton and Kennedy—but what were Washington, Jefferson, FDR, and Ike doing behind closed doors?

America's Imelda: Mary Todd Lincoln had an endearing little clothing fetish . . . and once purchased 300 pairs of gloves in a single month!

Go West, Young Prez: "California Dreamin'" was not a top presidential priority . . . since no Commander in Chief bothered to visit the neglected coast until Rutherford B. Hayes did in 1880.

Crazy Jack: Many prominent leaders were absolutely convinced that John Adams was stark raving bonkers!


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Oval Office Oddities: An Irreverent Collection of Presidential Facts, Follies, and Foibles + 100 Mistakes that Changed History: Backfires and Blunders That Collapsed Empires, Crashed Economies, and Altered the Course of Our World + It Looked Good on Paper: Bizarre Inventions, Design Disasters, and Engineering Follies
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—This amusing collection of factoids entertains, but it's also an accessible look at the 43 men who have held our nation's highest office. The book presents offbeat information in digestible portions ranging from one sentence to a quarter page and frequently portrays our presidents as folks much like the rest of us. The history of America's early days is made relevant for modern readers through comparison with more recent events (e.g., parallels between controversial 19th-century elections and Bush vs. Gore). The comical black-and-white illustrations and caricatures, a table of each president's vital statistics (age at inauguration, dates served), and an appendix presenting tongue-in-cheek ratings of the best and worst presidents all give readers a chance to glean numerous nuggets worthy of trivia quizzes, including First Lady foibles, top scandals, assassinations and assassination attempts, and the story of Martin Van Buren's tiger cubs. Several key crises and presidential responses to them are given chapter-length coverage, as are particularly noteworthy presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. This enjoyable book would be useful as a supplement to a history or civics curriculum, or for independent study by confirmed political junkies or those who have only become interested in presidential politics with the historic 2008 campaign.—Ed VanderPloeg, New London, NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Bill Fawcett is the author and editor of more than a dozen books, including It Seemed Like a Good Idea, How to Lose a Battle, You Said What?, three historical mystery series, and two oral histories of the U.S. Navy SEALs. He lives in Illinois.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (February 19, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061346179
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061346170
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,463,693 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars INTERESTING BOOK , BUT NEED A FACT CHECKER, March 2, 2008
This review is from: Oval Office Oddities: An Irreverent Collection of Presidential Facts, Follies, and Foibles (Paperback)
Another book about the Presidents/oval office and politics in general, one of many in bookstores, so I thought I would enjoy this book as the countless other books on this subject. I give this book 4 stars for ONE big error, and it is on page 41 the author states that Kennedy's grave and flame are at the National Cemetery in Bethesda, Md.WRONG!!!! Now every school child know or should know that Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Va. I'm not sure who did the fact checking for this book but this is one that never should have made into print and should have been noticed. A good beach or airplane book as it does not strain the brain and is written in a light and entertaining style not dry as so other books and is a book for a general intro to U.S. Presidents and the Oval Office.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars fun and light read, September 22, 2008
By 
Matthew Ptak (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Oval Office Oddities: An Irreverent Collection of Presidential Facts, Follies, and Foibles (Paperback)
This was a fun and light read. As with many other reveiws I read about this author he needs to gets his facts correct. I found another one besides the kennedy grave, he states that the pres and vice pres can't be from the same state, not true, the electors of a state can't vote for a pres and vp both from their home state. Anyway, I don't understand why the author doesn't spend a few minutes looking up the facts. But there are still lots of entertaining items to read.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars non-fiction fun, December 10, 2008
This review is from: Oval Office Oddities: An Irreverent Collection of Presidential Facts, Follies, and Foibles (Paperback)
For a light, fun, and educational read, check out Oval Office Oddities. It tells interesting and funny stories about our nation's Presidents. The chapters are divided by topic such as Presidential firsts, Presidential peculiarities, and Presidents as people. You'll find out what interesting hobbies Presidents had, as well as who was having extramarital affairs, and what kind of pets they had. (Calvin Coolidge had a pet raccoon named Rebecca) This book is a great conversation starter and good for history fans who don't have much time for a long historical narrative.
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