Oh man! That is a tough question because it is very subjective but I was surprised I did seem to like Reagan as much as I thought I would and FDR was more likeable than I imagined but he was a complicated person. Just off the top of my head, I would say Truman was my biggest surprise and I think Garfield would have been a great President islf he wasn't assassinated. But I guess we will never know
This is an excellent collection sir! I have heard of some of these titles before (and read a few of them), but I’ll definitely look at the others now.
I do have 2 questions: 1.) What is your opinion on “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin? and 2.) Are you looking for more books covering Presidents and their time? I’ve come up with a (small), but interesting collection you might like
Thanks! I have not read Team of Rivals yet. I have it on my TBR list and many people have raved about it. I love DKG as an author and it will probably be near the top of my list for future reads. I am taking a break from POTUS reading for now but I am always interested in other POTUS bios that I have missed. There are so many good ones still out there I am sure
Oh I would highly recommend it when you can. It’s my favorite book of hers, although I do want to read “Wait till Next Year” in the near future. Spielberg based the movie ‘Lincoln’ on TOR.
Okay, it’s only 3 books, but they are all interesting (and funny in many cases). The first one is called “First off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters From Taft to Bush” by Don Van Natta Jr. The second one is called “Don't Ask What I Shot: How Eiesenhower's Love of Golf Helped Shape 1950's America” by Catherine M. Lewis and the last one is “Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump” by Rick Reilly. They are all fantastic in their own ways
Nearly done with the Morris trilogy and can confirm it is superb. And I read volume 1 of the Caro and I never thought I’d like a book about Lyndon b Johnson much less love a book about him
This is a good list. There are multiple good biographies of Washington end of Lincoln. I think your choice of Chernow biography of Washington is really good. The biography of Hayes that you mention was a real disappointment to me. The best biography of him, I think, is linked below. It’s pricey, but usually available in libraries.
Thanks Mark! Yes and book by Chernow is a must read. I was disappointed with Hayes bio as well. I guess price was my factor when deciding which to read at the time. I may have to check out the one you referenced. Thanks!
So, an interesting list, but one for me to add to your next update (MHO). I’ve read many on Lincoln— but TOR captures the essence of Lincoln’s character and time in office like no others:
📖*** Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln; Doris Kearns Goodwin. An exceptional book. 2005 book by
Pulitzer prize winning American historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin, published by Simon and Schuster. The book is a biographical portrait of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and some of the men who served with him in his cabinet from 1861 to 1865. Exceptionally written with personal anecdotes and characterizations which give one a true feel for complexities faced in Lincoln’s epic lifetime in office. 944 pgs; Both HB and PB.
Great recommendation Dale! I have that book on my list and have heard great things about it but haven't read it yet. I almost chose it as my one single bio of Lincoln but wanted more of a bigger picture. I will definitely be reading it soon. I will probably update this list as I come across other good bios of POTUS
Thanks, and look forward to your own assessment….I’ll agree it is a bit daunting, weighing in at nearly 1K pgs— but, DKG does great job of making each chapter pulse with life, and puts you in front row to real life stress and suffering, and Lincoln’s tightrope walk with diverse personalities of those times. I enjoyed immensely— and at the end — it’s clear why Lincoln rates as one of, if not THE, greatest U.S. president we ever had…
Hey! Why did you stop there?! There are FOUR more Presidents after #43, George Bush!
I was looking forward to finding out which biographies on the last four Presidents you’d recommend!! If you could add those, your list would be complete!
Good question! There are some books out about the more modern presidents, however more time needs to pass before history can really give a more objective assessment of their lives. Historians tend to agree that it takes 20-30 years after a president leaves office for their lives and legacy to really be examined. So I decided to wait on the more modern presidents until more time has passed.
The American Presidents Series is an excellent starting point. The books are short, running to less than 200 pages, and focus on the individual’s term in office. They are not a conventional biographical in that sense.
Yes. Grover Cleveland was the only President have his wedding in the White House itself, I believe. I could be wrong but I thought I remembered reading that
I always appreciate fellow history lovers commenting on my work. I am definitely human and make mistakes. Someone else pointed out that I said Nixon was governor of California (which I have corrected). Most of this I wrote from memory and had to look up some of the facts to make sure I was remembering correctly
Did you also read Garry Wills’ Reagan’s America: Innocents at Home? One of my very favorite books in any genre, a rarely-equaled intertwining of biography and social history that offers the deepest insight into how our nation lives and thinks—though some on your list are in the same class, as are Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song and the Education of Henry Adams. But as your project underlines, presidential bios do offer unique vantage point for that sort of analysis. Excellent project!
This looks like a wonderful list! I have always wanted to do that sometime, that is, go through a biography of each president. I have other reading goals at the moment but will follow this plan or something similar one day. Thanks for sharing.
I started to read the Edmund Morris trilogy about T.R. but never made it through the first book. Just picked up The River of Doubt by Candice Miller though! Doing a little research.
Wonderful list! I teach history and have held off attempting this, but you have me rethinking it. I think I’ll be ordering a bio on Washington and giving it a go!
Will do. I saw you are reading through a good portion of C.S. Lewis in 2025. I did that a few years ago which sparked the substack. Hope it is a great experience and treasure for you! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Lewis!
I am excited. I will be doing a Book Club this year with Mere Christianity and Surprised by Joy along with Biographies of MLK and Douglass if you're interested.
Who is the most overrated POTUS and the most underrated one?
Oh man! That is a tough question because it is very subjective but I was surprised I did seem to like Reagan as much as I thought I would and FDR was more likeable than I imagined but he was a complicated person. Just off the top of my head, I would say Truman was my biggest surprise and I think Garfield would have been a great President islf he wasn't assassinated. But I guess we will never know
This is an excellent collection sir! I have heard of some of these titles before (and read a few of them), but I’ll definitely look at the others now.
I do have 2 questions: 1.) What is your opinion on “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin? and 2.) Are you looking for more books covering Presidents and their time? I’ve come up with a (small), but interesting collection you might like
Thanks! I have not read Team of Rivals yet. I have it on my TBR list and many people have raved about it. I love DKG as an author and it will probably be near the top of my list for future reads. I am taking a break from POTUS reading for now but I am always interested in other POTUS bios that I have missed. There are so many good ones still out there I am sure
Oh I would highly recommend it when you can. It’s my favorite book of hers, although I do want to read “Wait till Next Year” in the near future. Spielberg based the movie ‘Lincoln’ on TOR.
Okay, it’s only 3 books, but they are all interesting (and funny in many cases). The first one is called “First off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters From Taft to Bush” by Don Van Natta Jr. The second one is called “Don't Ask What I Shot: How Eiesenhower's Love of Golf Helped Shape 1950's America” by Catherine M. Lewis and the last one is “Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump” by Rick Reilly. They are all fantastic in their own ways
Thanks! I will check them out
Nearly done with the Morris trilogy and can confirm it is superb. And I read volume 1 of the Caro and I never thought I’d like a book about Lyndon b Johnson much less love a book about him
Both are great works. I am actually thinking about reading Morris trilogy again for a piece I will be writing about Teddy Roosevelt.
Have you read any of the other Morris bios? I feel like no one likes them but as good as this one is I’m tempted based purely on his writing talent
I haven't read any yet but I have his bio on Thomas Edison and Dutch (Reagan).
This is a good list. There are multiple good biographies of Washington end of Lincoln. I think your choice of Chernow biography of Washington is really good. The biography of Hayes that you mention was a real disappointment to me. The best biography of him, I think, is linked below. It’s pricey, but usually available in libraries.
https://www.amazon.com/Rutherford-B-Hayes-Warrior-President-ebook/dp/B0CW1FX2LT/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=EC75K569EL99&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IdEQ1TriHcaz20PesYCjTRGeMYhN6LNXoLuywVA8b7iiGD0_g0VVMHHZyfXmDxkhZsuwo5m3mJYfIMXpMFDYKmxVghM-QVUmqY7HOTvh7C0dJCieWBVp4ik43YQpZ5Njh8zMQS5gTzy5mU-DKay2Gw5XPNyLjHD9Kg-ujWgCiHqSxJbY51tx3h2yyi61d4ptBHC_8xCVbCqidzkWCayGzg._tPw9UxxpJu7nFz5j54pO3sYfloZGw2GYnkI3LEEbYk&dib_tag=se&keywords=rutherford+b+hayes&qid=1744993806&sprefix=rutherford%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-2
Thanks Mark! Yes and book by Chernow is a must read. I was disappointed with Hayes bio as well. I guess price was my factor when deciding which to read at the time. I may have to check out the one you referenced. Thanks!
So, an interesting list, but one for me to add to your next update (MHO). I’ve read many on Lincoln— but TOR captures the essence of Lincoln’s character and time in office like no others:
📖*** Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln; Doris Kearns Goodwin. An exceptional book. 2005 book by
Pulitzer prize winning American historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin, published by Simon and Schuster. The book is a biographical portrait of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and some of the men who served with him in his cabinet from 1861 to 1865. Exceptionally written with personal anecdotes and characterizations which give one a true feel for complexities faced in Lincoln’s epic lifetime in office. 944 pgs; Both HB and PB.
Great recommendation Dale! I have that book on my list and have heard great things about it but haven't read it yet. I almost chose it as my one single bio of Lincoln but wanted more of a bigger picture. I will definitely be reading it soon. I will probably update this list as I come across other good bios of POTUS
Thanks, and look forward to your own assessment….I’ll agree it is a bit daunting, weighing in at nearly 1K pgs— but, DKG does great job of making each chapter pulse with life, and puts you in front row to real life stress and suffering, and Lincoln’s tightrope walk with diverse personalities of those times. I enjoyed immensely— and at the end — it’s clear why Lincoln rates as one of, if not THE, greatest U.S. president we ever had…
Hey! Why did you stop there?! There are FOUR more Presidents after #43, George Bush!
I was looking forward to finding out which biographies on the last four Presidents you’d recommend!! If you could add those, your list would be complete!
Good question! There are some books out about the more modern presidents, however more time needs to pass before history can really give a more objective assessment of their lives. Historians tend to agree that it takes 20-30 years after a president leaves office for their lives and legacy to really be examined. So I decided to wait on the more modern presidents until more time has passed.
Boles is much better in Jefferson. I'd go with Traub, Kaplan or Cooper on JQA.
Thank you.
The American Presidents Series is an excellent starting point. The books are short, running to less than 200 pages, and focus on the individual’s term in office. They are not a conventional biographical in that sense.
I agree John! I read several of them as part of this series and they were all well done.
You did a Herculean and generous thing here by posting this. I will certainly subscribe when I get back home. Thanks!
I appreciate the positive feedback. I hope you are able to put it to good use.
I believe John Tyler and Woodrow Wilson each had their second marriages while in office.
Yes. Grover Cleveland was the only President have his wedding in the White House itself, I believe. I could be wrong but I thought I remembered reading that
Ah, I see. There's in the the White House, and then there's *in* the White House.
I always appreciate fellow history lovers commenting on my work. I am definitely human and make mistakes. Someone else pointed out that I said Nixon was governor of California (which I have corrected). Most of this I wrote from memory and had to look up some of the facts to make sure I was remembering correctly
Did you also read Garry Wills’ Reagan’s America: Innocents at Home? One of my very favorite books in any genre, a rarely-equaled intertwining of biography and social history that offers the deepest insight into how our nation lives and thinks—though some on your list are in the same class, as are Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song and the Education of Henry Adams. But as your project underlines, presidential bios do offer unique vantage point for that sort of analysis. Excellent project!
I haven't heard of that book, Kevin. I will have to check it out. Thanks!
This looks like a wonderful list! I have always wanted to do that sometime, that is, go through a biography of each president. I have other reading goals at the moment but will follow this plan or something similar one day. Thanks for sharing.
I started to read the Edmund Morris trilogy about T.R. but never made it through the first book. Just picked up The River of Doubt by Candice Miller though! Doing a little research.
I really enjoyed the River of Doubt! Such a great adventure
Wonderful list! I teach history and have held off attempting this, but you have me rethinking it. I think I’ll be ordering a bio on Washington and giving it a go!
That's awesome to hear Jackson! Let me know how it goes
Will do. I saw you are reading through a good portion of C.S. Lewis in 2025. I did that a few years ago which sparked the substack. Hope it is a great experience and treasure for you! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Lewis!
I am excited. I will be doing a Book Club this year with Mere Christianity and Surprised by Joy along with Biographies of MLK and Douglass if you're interested.
Fantastic! I’m subscribed. Looking forward to it!
Thanks for the list. I will make great use of it. (P.S. Nixon was never governor of California.)
Thanks for correcting my error Ted. He ran and was defeated. I tried to do as much of this by memory as I could but obviously didn't catch that one!