Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio: History as Told through the Collection of the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum [Hardcover]

Lou Cannon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Presidential Protfolio | Publication Date: November 13, 2001

The Presidential Portfolio combines the unparalleled perspective of reporter and historian Lou Cannon with the vast holdings of the Reagan Library to create the second volume in the PublicAffairs Presidential Library Series. Lavishly illustrated with photos-many in full color-from the president's youth to his last days in office, hand-annotated documents, and everyday notes and doodles, and packaged with a 60minute CD containing the original recordings of some of Reagan's most memorable speeches, the book serves as a remarkable illustrated journey back in time. The journey starts with Reagan's childhood in Dixon, Illinois and includes his years in Hollywood; his marriage to Nancy Davis; his years as governor of California; the presidential campaigns; the assassination attempt; Reaganomics; his foreign policy; the Strategic Defense Initiative; the INF treaty; and Iran-Contra, and ends with Reagan's retirement and battle with Alzheimer's disease. A Gallup survey recently designated Reagan as the greatest president of all time, and Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio is a timely reference work and a beautiful gift.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Crowded with photographs of the grinning Gipper and accompanied by a CD of his voice, this offering from Reagan's first biographer condenses the unusual path to the White House taken by the fortieth president. Cannon concedes he has reworked previous material into the text, so readers of his President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime (1991) or the official and controversial biography Dutch by Edmund Morris (1999) will find this narrative a bit old hat, especially on the policy side. It works best as a large thumbnail sketch of the Reagan persona: sunny, optimistic, idealistic. His early life was not easy, however, and he had to persevere to break into radio amidst the Depression. Relating Reagan's occupations from Hollywood actor to GE pitchman to president, Cannon homes in on his generally acknowledged skill as a communicator, which is illustrated by facsimiles of handwritten speeches, notes for extemporaneous remarks, and cue cards for one-on-one meetings. Admirers of Reagan will be smitten by this album. Add Cannon to the canon of Reaganalia. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Lou Cannon covered Ronald Reagan for thirty-five years, first as a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, later as the Washington Post White House correspondent, through today. He is the author of several books on Reagan including President Reagan, now widely regarded as the definitive biography. He is also the author of Official Negligence: How Rodney King and the Riots Changed Los Angeles and the LAPD and two previously published biographies of Reagan. He lives in Summerland, California.

Also in the PublicAffairs Presidential Library Series: John F. Kennedy: The Presidential Portfolio

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; First Edition edition (November 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891620843
• ISBN-13: 978-1891620843
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,402,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unusually Beautiful, November 23, 2001

By 

Annelise Anderson (Portola Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio: History as Told through the Collection of the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum (Hardcover)

With wonderful photographs, facsimiles of documents Reagan wrote, text by the top Reagan chronicler (Lou Cannon) and commentary by historian Michael Bechloss, this is a beautiful visual history of critical years in this century.