It become a self-perpetuating tradition of Washington politics for politicians seeking office or leaving office to write a book about themselves, their experiences, and their values. A lot of this has been garbage and some has been good, but very few have been exceptional. This is perhaps most visible in that most perennial and expected of political books, the presidential campaign book or autobiography. But no book is ever written in a complete vacuum and the presidential book is no exception. In this wonderful book, Mr. Fehrman not only gives us the inside details of how and why president wrote their books, it is also shows how presidents were affected by the literature they read and how they in turn affected American literature with their books. Thus, it is not just a history of the presidential books, it is a great thumbnail sketch of American literature and publishing.

For my full review, check out my book blog here.