Books on American Presidents
Last updated: November 11, 2024
Today we take for granted that republics are ruled by presidents, who head both state and government, but Americans invented the notion in 1787. The nature of the presidency was merely sketched by the US Constitution. It was George Washington who was the first person to preside over the United States and he created the customs that have guided presidents ever since. For insight into the presidency, you might start with the best books about past presidencies, recommended by HW Brands, who won two Pulitzer Prizes for writing biographies of them. If you want to hear from presidents themselves, here is our guide to presidential audiobook autobiographies.
Presidents loom large over America’s past and present, particularly in its Capitol. America’s third president, Thomas Jefferson, known for his towering intellect, sits inside a towering monument on DC’s National Mall, despite the fact that he was supported by the stolen labor of 200 slaves. Slaves were finally emancipated by America’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who also has a fortress-sized monument in Washington. He remains revered. JFK left an outsize imprint on international impressions of the American presidency. Harvard historian Fredrik Logevall whittled down the 40,000 books about the Kennedy family to the five you ought to read.
Experts who know the latest presidents intimately honored us with their insight into them. Donald Trump broke the mold for the presidency. Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter he chose to write his early books chooses the best books about him. And the chief-of-staff to President Joe Biden, Ron Klain, named the five best books about his boss.
And although the US Constitution did not provide a special role for the significant other of the country’s chief executive, good old George’s wife Martha Washington craved out an unofficial mold for first ladies. David Maraniss, a biographer of Bill Clinton, chose five books about the first woman to almost win election to the Oval Office, Hillary Clinton.
We aim to provide book recommendations from only the best experts on every topic. As we expand our coverage of books on American presidents, we welcome reader suggestions on who we should interview next. Please send recommendations to our US Editor: [email protected]
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1
Stayin Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class
by Jefferson Cowie -
2
Panic at the Pump: The Energy Crisis and the Transformation of American Politics in the 1970s
by Meg Jacobs -
3
Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President
by Jimmy Carter -
4
His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life
by Jonathan Alter -
5
Thirteen Days in September: The Dramatic Story of the Struggle for Peace
by Lawrence Wright
The Best Jimmy Carter Books, recommended by Robert Lieberman
The Best Jimmy Carter Books, recommended by Robert Lieberman
For good books to understand Jimmy Carter and his presidency, it’s important to understand the context in which he was elected and served as president, argues political scientist Robert Lieberman. Here, he recommends five books on Jimmy Carter, winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize: “Carter was who he seemed to be, which is not something you often say about successful politicians.”
The best books on American Presidents, recommended by H W Brands
The best presidential biographies contain insights into both the personal and the political, says the historian HW Brands. He chooses the best biographies of some of the greatest American presidents.
The Best Presidential Memoirs as Audiobooks, recommended by Robin Whitten
When you listen to presidential memoirs as audiobooks, you can often hear an American president telling you their own story. Veteran audiobook reviewer Robin Whitten, editor of Audiofile magazine, recommends the best audiobooks about US presidents, and explains the crucial role of professional narrators in bringing big books to life.
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1
JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956
by Fredrik Logevall -
2
Prelude to Leadership: The Postwar Diary of John F. Kennedy
by John F Kennedy -
3
Profiles in Courage
by John F Kennedy -
4
Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History
by Ted Sorensen -
5
The Best and the Brightest
by David Halberstam
The best books on JFK, recommended by Fredrik Logevall
The best books on JFK, recommended by Fredrik Logevall
Of the thousands of books written about JFK, America’s iconic 35th president, which ones should you read first? Fredrik Logevall, professor of history and international affairs at Harvard University, talks us through five key books, starting with the first volume of his biography, tracking JFK’s coming of age in the years that also saw America transforming from economic powerhouse to global superpower.
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1
President Nixon: Alone in the White House
by Richard Reeves -
2
All The President’s Men
by Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein -
3
Watergate: The Corruption of American Politics and the Fall of Richard Nixon
by Fred Emery -
4
Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power
by Robert Dallek -
5
Nixon's Shadow: The History of an Image
by David Greenberg
The best books on Richard Nixon, recommended by David Greenberg
The best books on Richard Nixon, recommended by David Greenberg
American president Richard Nixon will be forever remembered for his role in the Watergate scandal and his resignation in 1974, a blow for a man obsessed with his image who hoped to be remembered as a peacemaker on the global stage. Here historian David Greenberg, a professor at Rutgers, recommends books on a man who elicited very strong emotions, both for and against.
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1
Jefferson and the Virginians: Democracy, Constitutions, and Empire
by Peter Onuf -
2
Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry that Forged a Nation
by John Ferling -
3
Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty
by John B. Boles -
4
Madison and Jefferson
by Andrew Burstein & Nancy Isenberg -
5
"Those Who Labor for My Happiness": Slavery at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
by Lucia Stanton
The best books on Thomas Jefferson, recommended by Andrew Burstein
The best books on Thomas Jefferson, recommended by Andrew Burstein
Thomas Jefferson is famous for having written the Declaration of Independence, with its ringing claim that “all men are created equal”. In modern times he has been castigated for hypocrisy, given his ownership of slaves and his failure to campaign for abolition. Here, historian Andrew Burstein discusses Jefferson’s wider political career and whether it is fair to judge his attitude to slavery by contemporary standards.
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1
The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin
by Gordon S. Wood -
2
Benjamin Franklin: The Shaping of Genius: the Boston Years
by Arthur Bernon Tourtellot -
3
The Puritans: A Transatlantic History
by David D. Hall -
4
The Enlightenment in America
by Henry May -
5
William Penn’s Legacy: Politics and Social Structure in Provincial Pennsylvania 1726-1755
by Alan Tully
The best books on Benjamin Franklin, recommended by D.G. Hart
The best books on Benjamin Franklin, recommended by D.G. Hart
The Founding Fathers of the United States were a remarkable bunch of people, but Benjamin Franklin might have been the most remarkable of them all. Coming from humble stock, he became a businessman, scientist, diplomat and politician—a giant of the Enlightenment. Historian D.G. Hart sheds some light on his character and background and puts him in his broader social and political context.
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1
Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington
by Ted Widmer -
2
Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words
by Douglas L Wilson -
3
Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America
by Garry Wills -
4
Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context, and Memory
by Harold Holzer -
5
They Knew Lincoln
by John E Washington
The best books on Abraham Lincoln, recommended by Ted Widmer
The best books on Abraham Lincoln, recommended by Ted Widmer
He came from humble beginnings and never went to high school. Going into the presidency, he had limited political experience and lacked business, legislative and military achievements. The one thing he did not lack was a moral compass, says historian and author Ted Widmer. He picks the best books on the ups and downs and Shakespearean-style plot twists that were the life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States.
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1
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
by Alan Brinkley -
2
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal
by William Leuchtenburg -
3
Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945
by David M. Kennedy -
4
It Can't Happen Here
by Sinclair Lewis -
5
Eleanor Roosevelt: The Defining Years: Volume Two 1933-1938
by Blanche Wiesen Cook
The best books on Franklin D. Roosevelt, recommended by Cynthia Koch
The best books on Franklin D. Roosevelt, recommended by Cynthia Koch
Historians consistently rank FDR, the 32nd and longest-serving president of the United States, as among America’s greatest. Here, Cynthia Koch, Director of History Programing for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation, talks us through his life and explains how, in many ways, his guile was key to his success.
The best books on George W Bush, recommended by Jacob Weisberg
The editor-in-chief of Slate Group says what is charming about Bush is his wit and physicality, but he needs to cut people down and does it in a very effective and cruel way. He called Karl Rove “Turdblossom”