The White House: The First Two Hundred Years [Hardcover]

Frank Freidel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1994

In this collection of essays, prominent historians and journalists reflect on and assess the many different ways in which the White House symbolizes American political culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Edited by the late Freidel, the noted FDR scholar, and Pencak, professor of history at Pennsylvania State University, these scholarly essays are full of interesting and surprising tidbits that will delight even the casual reader. David Herbert Donald's piece on the Lincoln White House ("This Damned Old House," the president dubbed it) is haunted by war, death and seances. John Milton Cooper adds an excellent essay on presidential disability, centering on Woodrow Wilson. In Robert Ferrell's "The Expanding White House," we learn that the Roosevelts were responsible for major additions: the West Wing belongs to Teddy and the East Wing to FDR. We also discover from Ferrell that McKinley liked to work smoking a cigar and singing a hymn, and that William Taft built the Oval Office. Elise Kirk reminds us of the White House's musical heritage--and that the Marine Corps Band inadvertently struck up a rousing rendition of "The Lady Is a Tramp" one evening while President Ford and the Queen of England were dancing. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

On October 13-15, 1992, a symposium sponsored by the White House Historical Association and the National Park Service was held in Washington, D.C. Architects, engineers, journalists, and historians from 21 states spoke at this symposium, which celebrated the bicentennial of the competition determining the building's design. Twelve of their papers make up this volume--the majority by presidential biographers (Robert V. Remini, Richard Norton Smith, David Donald, John Milton Cooper Jr., Robert H. Ferrell, and David McCullough). Apart from its architectural history, the volume does an excellent job of putting this unique political home into world perspective. The focus is both on the house itself and the personalities of its occupants. Four chapters show how the president, the public, and the media interact to form the modern presidency, and a chapter by Betty Boyd Caroli treats the changing role of the First Lady. Anyone interested in American history will find this volume enjoyable.
- William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Northeastern (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555531709
• ISBN-13: 978-1555531706
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,225,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)