The Presidents: A Reference History [Paperback]

Henry F. Graff (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

This is a major reference work on the presidency.... Essential. (Library Journal) A welcome updating of a standard work ... An excellent reference. (Booklist) Now updated with articles on Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and the role of the First Lady. Paper

1 volume

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In The Presidents: A Reference History United States presidents from George Washington to William Jefferson Clinton are profiled in depth. A quick browse through John A. Garraty's piece on Grover Cleveland reveals that not only was Cleveland the 22nd and the 24th president of the United States, but also that he had a popular plurality of 100,000 votes in the election he lost to Benjamin Harrison. In 1881, three years before he became president, Cleveland was but a Buffalo lawyer, stating "No amount of money would tempt me to add to or increase my present work." One further learns that he ran with a coarse crowd, hired a substitute to fight for him in the Civil War, and was the father of an illegitimate child. When you tire of present-day scandals, it's educational to learn about the skeletons that past presidents kept in their closets. Excellently indexed, Henry Graff's work makes for a reliable presidential reference as well as an absorbing and enlightening read.

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up. A thorough, authoritative resource. The articles, written by presidential scholars, include personal information but concentrate more on the political aspects of each administration. They are detailed and interesting but readability varies with each author. Illustrations are limited to black-and-white portraits. Extensive bibliographies for each of the presidents include scholarly materials. An interesting feature is the section on "The Role of First Ladies," which acknowledges the influence that a wife/confidant can have on the presidency. The index is excellent and the appendixes include a useful "Table of Presidential Data." Published just before the 1996 presidential election, this book does not include those elections results. Although it serves as an impressive bridge between encyclopedic information and individual biographies, sources such as Richard M. Pious's Young Oxford Companion to the Presidency of the United States (Oxford Univ., 1994) or Joseph Nathan Kane's Facts about the Presidents (Wilson, 1993) are more readable and would better serve the research needs of YAs.?Deborah Mason, Chicago Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 811 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 2 edition (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684805510
• ISBN-13: 978-0684805511
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,394,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Reference, December 3, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Presidents: A Reference History (Paperback)

This is one of the best one-volume references on the American presidents I have come across. While some general biographical material is provided, such as how each man spent his formative years, each section is mostly devoted to an over-the-shoulder look at the key figures of his administration, with benefit of historical hindsight, as they grapple with the issues and problems of the time. Particular attention is paid to distinctive qualities that set each president apart from his peers and to key decisions and actions that made a lasting difference to the country. This is more than a mere presentation of facts: we get a definite feel for each man's style of leadership and even his vision for the nation.

With each section written by a different contributor, there is bound to be some unevenness of style and tone, and there is. Generally, each presentation is scholarly and disinterested--although by no means dry--and free from excessive praise or condemnation, but for two exceptions that somewhat detract from the work. The most egregious of these is the section on Franklin Pierce, which is filled with personal gibes and, to a much lesser degree, the section on Calvin Coolidge. This is particularly surprising in light of the fact that such controversial figures as Andrew Johnson, Warren G. Harding and even Richard Nixon have been handled so professionally. But otherwise there is little to fault.

With only 15 to 20 pages devoted to each administration, obviously many difficult decisions had to be made on what material to include and exclude. Yet, it is the insight that went into these decisions that is one of the high points of this book; indeed, there is more than enough material to satisy most history buffs. However, those looking for obscure facts or trivia about each man, except when such details are directly relevant to the central issues of the time, are best advised to consult full-length biographies. Extensive references, including a list of such biographies, have been provided at the end of each section.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Research Book, September 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Presidents: A Reference History (Paperback)

This book is an excellent source for presidential research. As an AP American History student, this book is an INVALUABLE resource. It discusses all of the major events of the presidency with some detail. This saves a lot of secondary research which can delay completion of a project for days.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hail to the chief, February 28, 2006

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Presidents: A Reference History (Hardcover)

'The Presidents', edited by Henry F. Graff, is a spectacular reference. There are essays on each of the presidents from George Washington to Bill Clinton (with a few exceptions), as well as handy reference pages at the back with quick snapshots of crucial data.

The essays are roughly 20 pages per figure, more for some and less for others (it is ironic that Teddy Roosevelt has more pages than Franklin Roosevelt, or that both Richard Nixon and George Bush the elder have more pages than Abraham Lincoln, but then, quality is not a simple calculation of page numbers). Some presidents are paired for purposes of the essays - William Henry Harrison and John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore, James Garfield and Chester Arthur are each paired, as the length of time in office for each of the former figures in the pairs is rather brief, and none of the successors from the vice presidency went on to second terms.

The essays include very brief overviews of the time before office, as well as time after the presidency (as appropriate). However, the primary focus of the information is on the policies and events during the time of the presidency; this extends to military, diplomatic, administrative, legislative and judicial matters. This is one of the best one-volume references that includes cabinet members and other leaders of the executive branch in addition to the presidents; one has but to read headlines today to realise how important these figures can be in shaping the overall image and direction of a presidency.

There is also a concluding essay on role of the first lady, from Martha Washington to Hillary Clinton. From Dolley Madison's saving the portrait of Washington as the British burned the city to the extraordinary influence of figures such as Edith Galt Wilson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton, these women are deserving of attention for their work and influence.

Perhaps the most handy feature is Appendix B, the summary tables of data on the presidents. These feature in bullet form key biographical data, election returns, major appointments, political composition of Congress, Cabinet and Supreme Court appointments, and key events arranged chronologically. The index is also very well done; at 64 pages in length, I was hard pressed to find something in the text not referenced in the index.

The essays vary in quality, but even the least of them is pretty good. The essays on the earlier presidents, because they concentrate more on details of in-office activity, filled in many gaps in my knowledge of some of the administrations. This is a book destined to be more of a library volume than a personal possession, which is unfortunate, as this is a valuable text.