Reagan: A Life in Letters (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Kiron K. Skinner (Editor), Annelise Anderson (Editor), Martin Anderson (Editor), George P. Shultz (Foreword) "I WAS BORN in Tampico Illinois," Ronald Reagan once wrote to a friend..." (more)
Key Phrases: while before mail, answering your good letter, again thanks for writing, Ronald Reagan, President Reagan, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Many books have been written about Ronald Reagan, but this collection of his letters must certainly be among the most varied and revealing about every aspect of the man. Organized by themes such as "Old Friends," "Running for Office," "Core Beliefs," "The Critics," and "Foreign Leaders," the book contains over 1,000 letters stretching from 1922 to 1994. Whether discussing economic policy with a political foe, dispensing marital advice, or sharing a joke with a pen pal, Reagan comes across as gracious, caring, and inquisitive. Even when responding to blistering criticism, he remained fair and thoughtful. As one would expect, many of the letters are addressed to world leaders, well-known American politicians, pundits, and journalists, and these are certainly interesting for their historical relevance and insights into Reagan's diplomatic style. Among the more fascinating notes, however, are those sent to private citizens, some of which are quite long and detailed. That Reagan would spend the time, as both governor of California and President, to respond to the concerns and inquiries of constituents reveals that he never forgot how he got to his positions of leadership in the first place. He even went so far on occasions to help make business connections for people he had never met in person. He also sent many letters to children. In one, he encouraged a young student to turn off the TV and grab a book instead: "Reading is a magic carpet and you can never be lonely if you learn to enjoy a good book." Taken as a whole, these revealing, well-written, and entertaining letters trace the story of Reagan's life and times as well as any standard biography. They also offer further proof of why he was dubbed "The Great Communicator." --Shawn Carkonen

From Publishers Weekly

Hoover Institution fellows Skinner and the Andersons (all editors of the bestselling Reagan, in His Own Hand) use a carefully arranged and astutely annotated sampling from Reagan's lifetime of correspondence to narrate the arc of "the great communicator" 's life. Always charming, always unassuming, always genuine, Reagan's letters tell the story of his family, his health, his Hollywood and political careers, and his evolution as a political thinker with an authority (and a charm) no other documents can. Reagan regularly corresponded with friends, movie business colleagues, fellow politicians and conservative allies, as well as with simple fans. To William Buckley in 1984: "the Middle East is a complicated place-well not really a place, it's more a state of mind." To Mickey Rooney, from the Oval Office, in 1985: "I'll bet you don't remember the first time we met. The year was 1937... I was new in Hollywood living in the Montecito apartments. Someone had run over a dog in the street outside. You came in to look for a phone book so you could find the nearest veterinarian and take the dog.... I figured this had to be a nice guy." The book includes more than 1,000 letters (some to unknowns, others to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, George Bush Sr., Dr. Spock, Joseph Coors, Henry Kissinger and Margaret Thatcher), fewer than 25 of them previously published. Taken together, they provide remarkable and otherwise unobtainable insight into a singularly important and fascinating American life: "Dutch" up close and personal.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 960 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; annotated edition edition (September 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074321966X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743219662
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #103,734 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle surprise, September 27, 2003

By A Customer

I sincerely doubt the bloggers who post that this is a poor book have ever even read it (certainly not with an unjaundiced eye) but are responding to their own political bias. I am not. I decided to give this book a look with some trepidation, expecting childish prose and awkward proselytizing. What I got was a series of lovely, gentle snippets from the pen of a man who was clearly more than he seemed. His surprising notes about tolerance and meaning in sexual relations were quite beautifully written and I am truly impressed with his simple and elegant prose style. This is really a very gentlemanly book. I would not hesitate to give this as a gift. Even naysayers (except those who are hard-hearted ideologues) will be unable to keep their hearts forzen in the face of this work.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reagan As No One Has Presented Him-As Himself, October 27, 2003

By	Patrick A. Hayden (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'll admit off the bat that I love Ronald Reagan. I think he was a fantastic President. I really do. However, I've found that biographies of the man, and his own memoirs, have only shown us a little of who he was. "An American Life", his post White House memoir, offered little in the way of great stories. It wasn't all together self-serving(that wasn't Reagan's way), but it had that same, kinda dull quality that seems to haunt all presidential memoirs. I get upset at Booth all over again when I think about what Lincoln's memoirs would have been like. Here though, in his own words, Reagan comes off as human. Flawed as any other person on this Earth, but with that absoute sense of right and wrong that galvanized his supporters and infuriated his critics. A previous reviewer who gave the book just one star obviously did not read the book, as Reagan's letters answer critics of Iran-Contra and address the Beiruit bombing. Whether you believe Reagan is up to you. That he addresses his critics in this book is a fact.

The book gives a very interesting portrait of Reagan. It starts with his earliest correspondence as a boy, and moves throughhis midwest years to his Hollywood years and into the governors mansion. It follows Reagan's travels on the campaign trail, and the sheer volume of letters is staggering. The man, who many on the left portray as an empty vessell, clearly had a lot to say, and he believed in what he talked about a wrote. The book features Reagans fair-mindedness, as he responds to letters from citizens that impune his character, his motives, and his upbringing. He treats each writer with a respect and affords them the dignity they denied him. It's clear that he was a master of the written word.

In fact, one of the prime reasons to read this is to relish what good letter writing could be. In the days of email, finely written letters are a lost art. Even if you are a critic of Reagan's politics, if you are an honest broker pick up the book. It reads quickly and lets you into Reagans thoughts in a way never before seen. Any person with an interest in the Reagan legacy needs to read this book.

56 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here he goes again...Right on Target, September 25, 2003

By	Rick S. Geiger (Pittsford, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

No one can read this book and be honest and then continue the myth that Ronald Reagan was not brilliant and insightful.

Certainly, President Reagan was not only the most personally insightful person on the national stage about the world around him of any of our presidents in the last 100 years, but clearly he is the best writer since Abraham Lincoln. Read this book and you will understand why President Reagan was re-elected by the largest margin since Franklin Roosevelt.