From Mount Vernon to Crawford: A History of the Presidents and Their Retreats (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: interview for this book, Camp David, Secret Service, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Capitalizing on the popularity of Air Force One (2003), journalist Walsh again taps the celebrity-type interest in the trappings of the American presidency--this time in the incumbents' escape destinations from Washington. An anecdote-driven amble, Walsh's tour describes the decor, amenities, menus, and similar trivia. Of more historical relevance, Walsh, who for two decades past has held the White House beat for U.S. News & World Report, explores the recuperative value to presidents of getting out of Washington, and what they've done when out of town. Walsh crafts this information, which encompasses the entertaining, recreational, gustatory, and bibulous habits of vacationing chief executives, into reflections of their personalities. Gregarious ones such as LBJ and Clinton kept a crowd around, while introverts such as Nixon and Reagan cultivated solitude. Either way, official business often intruded, and Walsh narrates^B the momentous decisions presidents have made while down on a ranch or up at Camp David. Looking at every president since FDR, plus Washington, Jefferson, the two Adamses, and Lincoln, Walsh succeeds in sating popular curiosity in presidents' private lives. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"An entertaining and illuminating survey of presidential retreats that combines historical research with on-the-job reporting." -- Washington Post

"Walsh succeeds in sating popular curiosity in presidents' private lives." -- Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (May 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401301215
• ISBN-13: 978-1401301217
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #886,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Interesting As It Gets... , May 8, 2005

By	David A. Howarth "dooleynoted" (Grove City, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Considering the amount of information this book about presidential retreats contains, I was amazed at how easy and exciting it was to read. The author keeps an interesting pace, but he packs every paragraph with new information about the places our Commanders-in-chief have frequented beyond the White House gate. From George Washington to George Bush, each chapter is a fascinating and in-depth account of our major president's hideaways and getaways. Every location reveals fascinating facts and insight into the inner workings of our leaders as human beings in their most authentic and vulnerable moments.

The history and development of Camp David is a chapter worth the price of this book in itself. This isolated location, so close to the U.S. seat of power, is the one place where every modern president has been able to unbend entirely. Perhaps ironically, it has also been the site for some of the most intense and successful international detante in modern history. It was after intense meetings at Camp David that George W. Bush made the fateful decision to "put boots on the ground" in Afghanistan. Yet each weekend the president and his family can read, swim or fish in privacy and comfort, away from D.C. and the media spotlight.

Mr. Walsh has produced an excellent, intelligent book - easy to read and digest. I learned some great things and could not recommend it more.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great History Without Cynicism, May 10, 2005

By	Andrew Plattner (Annapolis, Maryland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One of the few great teachers I had in college made history come to life with timely anectodes. Ken Walsh provides rich and fascinating lessons about American presidents with great stories that are both fun to read and amazingly revealing about the men who have been our presidents.

He presents us with an easy read that is, thankfully, devoid of the cynicism that permeates today's journalism. And he does so without fawning over any of his subjects.

His treatment, for example, of Richard Nixon's western White House in San Clemente helps us understand the crazed complexity that was Nixon. Or the way he describes Gerald Ford's skiing vacations in Vail with photographers only interested in capturing the inevitable spills in the snow, shows the impossibility of being both presidennt and 'normal.'

Or his contrast between two contemporary presidents returning to their land -- Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush -- demonstrates ultimately the values of both men.

This is a book worth reading, worth sharing, worth giving to friends and family.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Camp David "veteran" reports, September 1, 2005

By	Fred C. Lash - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having served at Camp David from 1975 to 1977 as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Security Company, I was extremely interested in what Mr. Walsh had to write about the official "Presidential Retreat"....I was reminded of the day when a much younger Richard Cheney (then Chief of Staff to President Ford) and his wife Lynn got stuck in heavy snow as they were driving to the camp in a VW Beetle...the Sgt. of the Guard and I went to their aid in a jeep and got then safely to Camp David!...President Carter loved playing softball and would occasionally form some of his Secret Service agents and pilots into a team and play the Marines...if I recall correctly, the Leathernecks usually managed to come out on top!...anyway, Mr. Walsh's research certainly paid off as he is right on target in describing the Naval Support Facility, Thurmont, Maryland....for someone interested in a combination of American history and presidential politics. this book is a must.