He rescued America from economic collapse and ended the cold war. He toppled the Soviet "Evil Empire" without firing a shot. Now his son, Michael Reagan — the most listened-to nighttime talk show host — takes you on a tour of the heart and mind of our fortieth president. Funny, inspiring, and warmly nostalgic, The Common Sense of an Uncommon Man is filled with photographs covering the span of Ronald Reagan's life. This enduring keepsake will be treasured forever by all who honor Ronald Reagan, cherish freedom, and love our American way of life.

    Sobel delves into the record to show how Coolidge cut taxes four times, had a budget surplus every year in office, and cut the national debt by a third in a period of unprecedented economic growth.Though his list of accomplishments is impressive, Calvin Coolidge was perhaps best known and most respected by his contemporaries for his character. Americans embraced Coolidge for his upstanding character, which came as a breath of fresh air after the scandal-ridden administration of Warren G. Harding. the sleaze that characterizes much of American political life today was absent in his administration.In many respects Coolidge was of a bygone era. He was the last president who wrote his own speeches, who spent hours each day greeting White House visitors, who had only one secretary, and who didn't even keep a telephone on his desk. Yet he remains as relevant today as he was three-quarters of a century ago. Little wonder, then, that Ronald Reagan so admired Coolidge, whose programs in the 1920s presaged the recent movement towards smaller government and reduced taxes. (It was Reagan who ordered Coolidge's portrait to be placed in the White House Cabinet Room, next to Lincoln's and Jefferson's.)Through research and analysis, Sobel reveals Coolidge's clear record of political successes and delivers the message that Coolidge had for our time--a message that speaks directly to our most important political debates.Coolidge remains an enigma to Americans because he was so unlike any other politician, past or present. Coolidge rose to the highest office in the land without the politician's familiar trappings--the glad-handling, the glib tongue, the empty promises, the negative campaigning. He lacked charisma, presence, charm, or any of the qualities that would make a politician attractive to today's media. Coolidge's legacy is his deeds, not his words--which is exactly how he would have chosen to be remembered by history.Coolidge: An American Enigma dispels the myths that have gathered around this underappreciated president and gives him the serious consideration he merits. With this timely and important biography, Sobel has surely challenged historians to reassess Calvin Coolidge.

    Outside the Oval Office, with a commitment rarely seen in an ex-president, he was more determined than ever to complete his life's mission: the achievement of world peace.With unique access to the Carter archives and to the man himself, award-winning historian Douglas Brinkley brings us this unprecedented biography of the former President. Here are penetrating observations of Carter's complex relationships with such world figures as Mikhail Gorbachev, Deng Xiaoping, Margaret Thatcher, Fidel Castro, and Yasir Arafat, as well as his associations with the presidents who have succeeded him. Brinkley also reassesses the achievements of Carter's underrated White House tenure -- the Camp David accords, Panama Canal treaties, and his championing of human rights. The Unfinished Presidency is the definitive portrait of this formidable world statesman.

    45 color photos.

    Would you have been allowed to see the president? With no titles or accolades attached to your name, would he have talked with you? And if so, how would you have felt afterward about his dignity, intelligence, and character? Scores of individuals met President Lincoln and recorded their impressions. In this charming and affecting book, Victoria Radford has selected the most interesting of these recollections, which together add luster to the image of an American icon. "The people who met Abraham Lincoln found in some way a different man than expected," Ms. Radford writes. "Some people were surprised by his appearance, that this haphazard and untidy man was indeed president. Some were surprised at his generosity, that he would take the time to see them and listen to their stories. Some were surprised by his kindness, that he would offer help and kind words whenever he could. Some were surprised by his compassion and mercy, and some by his simple dignity and grace. And many were surprised at how they felt in Lincoln's presence, that his sincerity and ease of manner set them at their ease, so that they forgot they were even talking to a president." Even Lincoln buffs will find Meeting Mr. Lincoln a surprise and delight. Illustrated with photographs and engravings.

    Even in these early years, the fierce and lovable spirit of Teddy Roosevelt shines through.

    Renehan, Jr. vividly portrays the grand idealism, heroic bravery, and reckless abandon that Theodore Roosevelt both embodied and bequeathed to his children and the tragic fulfillment of that legacy on the battlefields of World War I. Drawing upon a wealth of previously unavailable materials, including letters and unpublished memoirs, The Lion's Pride takes us inside what is surely the most extraordinary family ever to occupy the White House. Theodore Roosevelt believed deeply that those who had been blessed with wealth, influence, and education were duty bound to lead, even--perhaps especially--if it meant risking their lives to preserve the ideals of democratic civilization. Teddy put his principles, and his life, to the test in the Spanish American war, and raised his children to believe they could do no less. When America finally entered the European conflict in 1917, all four of his sons eagerly enlisted and used their influence not to avoid the front lines but to get there as quickly as possible. Their heroism in France and the Middle East matched their father's at San Juan Hill. All performed with selfless--some said heedless--courage: Two of the boys, Archie and Ted, Jr., were seriously wounded, and Quentin, the youngest, was killed in a dogfight with seven German planes. Thus, the war that Teddy had lobbied for so furiously brought home a grief that broke his heart. He was buried a few months after his youngest child. Filled with the voices of the entire Roosevelt family, The Lion's Pride gives us the most intimate and moving portrait ever published of the fierce bond between Teddy Roosevelt and his remarkable children.

    

    In this second volume, Clark follows Washington through the end of his career as a great general, through his years as a statesman and president, to his final days at Mount Vernon.

    It contains in-depth interviews with 49 key eyewitnesses, police officers, deputy sheriffs, journalists, and government officials. Participants are allowed to speak for themselves without interpretation, editing,or rewording. The participants tell the stories of the roles they played on that tragic weekend in Dallas. The book represents an important addition to the Kennedy assassination literature.

    Includes highlights of key political events as well as a timeline of world events.

    Matusow writes very well and manages to make complicated economic ideas very clear. His portraits of major players such as Herbert Stein, John Connally, and George Shultz are extraordinarily shrewd. The result is a history of presidential mismanagement that reveals a great deal, not only about the Nixon years, but also about the formidable obstacles that block the making of well-informed and coherent federal economic policy."—James T. Patterson, author of Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974"An important and stimulating book that contributes substantially to the ongoing reinterpretation of Nixon's presidency, vividly demonstrating how Nixon's quest for a new majority animated and gave coherence to his economic policy choices."—Bruce J. Schulman, author of Lyndon B. Johnson and American Liberalism Author Bio: Allen J. Matusow is William Gaines Twyman Professor of History at Rice University. Among his many books are The Unraveling of America: A History of Liberalism in the 1960s and Farm Policy and Politics in the Truman Years.

    Presents a biography of the country lawyer Abraham Lincoln, who became America's sixteenth president and served during the Civil War.