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 Americaās past and present, particularly in its Capitol. Americaās third president, Thomas Jefferson, known for his towering intellect, sits inside a towering monument on DCās National Mall, despite the fact that he was supported by the stolen labor of 200 slaves. Slaves were finally emancipated by Americaās 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 countryās chief executive, good old Georgeās 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: eve@fivebooks.com
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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 Presidentās 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 Jeffersonās 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”.Ā 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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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 Pennās 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 politicianāa 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 Americaās 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”
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1
Strangers in Their Own Land
by Arlie Russell Hochschild -
2
American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump
by Tim Alberta -
3
Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House
by Michael Wolff -
4
Gaslighting America: Why We Love It When Trump Lies to Us
by Amanda Carpenter -
5
The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump
by Bandy Lee
The Best Donald Trump Books, recommended by Tony Schwartz
The Best Donald Trump Books, recommended by Tony Schwartz
Around the world, people were taken aback when the populist candidate, a real estate developer and reality TV show star called Donald Trump, was elected as the 45th President of the United States. Here Tony Schwartz, Trump’s co-author on his bestselling book, The Art of the Deal, talks us through how that happened and why Trump is so mesmerising, even to those who oppose him.
The best books on Joe Biden, recommended by Ronald A. Klain
On January 20th, 2021, Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States. Here Ronald A. Klain, the veteran lawyer who is once again serving as Biden’s chief of staff, recommends books that show the man behind the public persona including his love of Irish poetry, the string of terrible personal tragedies that have affected his life and career, and his leading role in blocking a Supreme Court appointment that would’ve decimated abortion rights.
The Best Books about First Ladies, recommended by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
From the annexation of Texas to the UN’s Commission on Human Rights, first ladies have played a key role in the history of the United States. HistorianĀ Carl Sferrazza Anthony recommends five engaging books about the tumultuous lives of some of the country’s first ladies.
The best books on The US Cabinet, recommended by Lindsay Chervinsky
In contrast to many other countries, the secretaries who serve in the United States cabinet aren’t chosen from among the country’s elected officials but entirely reflect the president’s personal choices. Here, presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky, author of The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, talks us through the role of the cabinet and recommends which books to read to understand more about it.