{"product_id":"author-in-chief-9781476786391","title":"Author in Chief","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"One of the best books on the American presidency to appear in recent years. . . . Delightfully instructive.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Thomas Mallon, \u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Joyfully engrossing . . . Juicy controversies and conversation-starters are the consistently found treats of \u003ci\u003eAuthor in Chief\u003c\/i\u003e, regardless of where you find yourself on the political spectrum. And the implication throughout—that books are vitally important to the nation’s soul—will surely appeal to red and blue state readers alike.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Steve Donoghue, \u003ci\u003eChristian Science Monitor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “A breezy, anecdote-rich account of the memoirs and autobiographies that have helped candidates running for office . . . Most presidents’ books have aimed to entertain, and that might also be said of \u003ci\u003eAuthor in Chief\u003c\/i\u003e. But Fehrman has done his homework. His bibliographical essays are impressively thorough, particularly on works on the study of writing, publishing and reading. His readers will learn a lot.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Credit to Craig Fehrman for the compendiousness, readability, and general exuberance of his \u003ci\u003eAuthor in Chief\u003c\/i\u003e.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—James Parker, \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “If you’re a history buff, a presidential trivia aficionado, or just a lover of American literary history, this book will transfix you, inform you, and surprise you.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Paul Constant, \u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Fehrman examines the writing by every United States president, situating each within his historical context—and revealing vanities, insecurities, and intrigues along the way. Taking us on a journey from a bygone era when books were peddled on the back of a wagon rolling through the undeveloped countryside, to the modern rise of the eight-figure blockbuster book deal, Fehrman reveals that presidents and their words are as subject to history as they are shapers of it.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Andrew Heisel, \u003ci\u003eThe Yale Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Fehrman offers a decade of painstaking research boiled down into a supremely engaging narrative about presidents and their relationship to reading and writing.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Rebecca Rego Barry, \u003ci\u003eFine Books Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Fehrman discovered that one of the best ways to understand a nation’s history is to read the books their leaders penned. . . . \u003ci\u003eAuthor in Chief\u003c\/i\u003e, a compelling history of presidential books, is perhaps more accurately described as a love letter to the power of the written word.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Caleb Gotthardt, Bookbub\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “\u003ci\u003eAuthor in Chief\u003c\/i\u003e is an absolutely absorbing read. . . . It’s a years-long undertaking packed with an incredible depth of research and thoughtful analysis, all of it devoted to exploring the literary output of our presidents. Fehrman walks us through the entirety of American history . . . The combination of exceptionally detailed research and well-crafted prose results in a truly engaging work of nonfiction. It’s a fascinating look at American history that isn’t quite like anything you’ve read before, a chance to view the men who have led this country through a different and very specific lens.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Allen Adams, \u003ci\u003eThe Maine Edge\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Entertaining and illuminating . . . Fehrman’s deep research delivers a wealth of intriguing tidbits (Jimmy Carter leased a $12,000 word processor to compose \u003ci\u003eKeeping the Faith\u003c\/i\u003e; the Committee to Boycott Nixon’s Memoirs sold T-shirts and bumper stickers with the slogan “Don’t Buy Books by Crooks”), which are complemented by a generous selection of illustrations. Bibliophiles and presidential history buffs alike will relish this gratifying deep dive into an underappreciated genre.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “From the very beginnings of America’s experiment in republican government, its chief executives, both actual and aspiring, have put pen to paper (nowadays fingers to keyboard) in attempts to justify themselves and inspire others. Here, Fehrman records such literary efforts back to Jefferson and Adams. . . . Both history buffs and politics enthusiasts will relish this.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Booklist \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “A lively account of the literary achievements (and failures) of America’s presidents. . . . The author covers a great deal of ground that even major biographers have skipped over in favor of ‘sexier’ storylines, yet to the book lover, these stories will be unquestionably enticing. Even the footnotes, appendix, and sources offer bookish gems. Fehrman’s illuminating blend of presidential and publishing history with literary criticism will appeal to amateur historians and bibliophiles alike.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Conversational, engaging, and compelling, backed by extensive research and appendices . . . Bookworms, lovers of history, and political junkies will find a lot to like here.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Indianapolis Monthly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “[An] eye-opener of a read . . . For both the scholar and the casually curious, there is a lot to learn about our presidents. . . . There are the predictable standouts—Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Grant, Roosevelt, and Kennedy—and some outstanding surprises, such as Coolidge, Truman, and Reagan.” \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—BookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Original, illuminating, and entertaining—as good history can be—Craig Fehrman’s \u003ci\u003eAuthor in Chief\u003c\/i\u003e is a book that should have been written, and should surely be read. By looking at presidents through the prism of their published writings, Fehrman throws new light on what John F. Kennedy—himself an author-president—called  ‘the vital center of action.’ ”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Jon Meacham, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Soul of America\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Craig Fehrman takes us from Thomas Jefferson—a president who happened also to be the best prose stylist around—to the age of the obligatory campaign biography, on to the modern blockbuster. Along the way we meet revisionists, ghost writers (Truman went through four), runaway bestsellers (it seems there \u003ci\u003ewas\u003c\/i\u003e a sport at which Calvin Coolidge excelled), surprising flops.  We learn that the Civil War turned the occasional authorial impulse into a flood of literature; that Nathaniel Hawthorne quietly wrote a campaign biography; that the most literate presidents can meet with the worst reviews. Shapely, original, and brimming in anecdote, \u003ci\u003eAuthor in Chief\u003c\/i\u003e expertly illuminates, amid much else, how history finds its way into the books.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Stacy Schiff, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Witches\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “This book is just as fun and fascinating when taking you inside the minds of presidents as into ordinary eighteenth-century bookworms. It’s witty, charming, fantastically learned, and engrossing. I loved it.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Rick Perlstein, author of \u003ci\u003eNixonland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “CAUTION: This book contains material highly addictive to history lovers. From its account of Thomas Jefferson’s monumental efforts to bring out his \u003ci\u003eNotes on the State of Virginia\u003c\/i\u003e, to the description of John Kennedy’s fraudulent claims about writing \u003ci\u003eProfiles in Courage\u003c\/i\u003e, Craig Fehrman’s \u003ci\u003eAuthor in Chief\u003c\/i\u003e achieves what every original thesis should. The accumulated myths that we call our history are shattered by the recovery of the true facts. I’m annoyed right now that I didn’t write this disciplined, enormously engaging narrative myself.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Rinker Buck, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Oregon Trail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “\u003ci\u003eAuthor In Chief \u003c\/i\u003etakes the reader into the hearts and minds of America’s presidents as they seek to define their legacies through literature. From Lincoln and Kennedy to Bush and Obama, Fehrman brings these men to life and allows us to see their struggles and revel in their successes. It offers an entirely new perspective into what it feels like to be president and how critical self-expression is to the study of American history.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Kate Andersen Brower, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Residence\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFirst Women\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eFirst in Line\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “This engrossing and delightful work offers a fresh lens on famous presidents and a new understanding of obscure ones. Fehrman explains how the uneven written work of presidents—original and ghostwritten—reveals the curious intersection of power and publishing.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Jonathan Alter, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Promise\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"A delightful contribution to the literature . . . \u003ci\u003eAuthor in Chief\u003c\/i\u003e, a labor of love that took journalist and historian Craig Fehrman ten years to write, is far more than just a jaunty tour through presidents, their books, and their American readership, although it is that. It is also a smart exploration of how the roles of both books and the presidency in American life have evolved throughout our history.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Tevi Troy, \u003ci\u003eClaremont Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"A compelling contrary argument . . . Fehrman’s engaging and learned narrative reminds us that, with some exceptions, these longer presidential communications let us see presidents 'at their most human . . . their most ambitious and their most reflective.'\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eJeff Kehoe, \u003ci\u003eHarvard Business Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49530725171543,"sku":"9781476786391","price":24.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781476786391.jpg?v=1731880311","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/author-in-chief-9781476786391","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}