From Booklist
The volume begins with a chronology of more than 750 events of historical significance, from Christopher Columbus discovering America in 1492 through NATO and Yugoslavia's representatives signing an agreement for Serb troop withdrawal on June 9, 1999. The 41 profiles are arranged in chronological order by administration and average approximately 13 pages in length. Each includes a biographical data summary that lists full given name and popular name; place and date of death and burial place; religion; education; spouse; children; political party; occupations; and age at inauguration. The narrative biography covers early life, education, family life, career, and postpresidential years. The profile then focuses on the administration of each presidency, discussing the election to the office, presidential advisors, interactions with Congress and the judiciary, changes that occurred within the government, domestic and foreign issues, and legacy. Each profile concludes with a solid bibliography listing sources and additional readings.
Most of the profiles contain sidebars highlighting interesting facts or describing significant people. For example, Chief Justice John Marshall is accorded a sidebar in the chapter on Jefferson, and Douglas MacArthur is featured in the article on Truman. The first of six appendixes includes the Presidential Seal, the Oath of Office, and the U.S. Constitution. Following this are charts illustrating the organization of the federal government and the system of government checks and balances and maps showing the number of electoral college votes in each state and U.S. territorial growth before and after 1820. A glossary of more than 400 political terms used throughout the profiles, such as bilateral negotiations and scalawags, is included. A detailed subject index completes the text. Throughout the book, one finds black-and-white photos depicting people and events.
High-school, public, and undergraduate libraries will want to add this volume to their "For Students" collections. Biographies of presidents are easy to find, but this volume provides a wealth of additional information on each presidency.
