The American Presidents: Biographies of the Chief Executives from George… (urspr publ 1967; utgåvan 2009)

I admit it, history didn't interest me very much while I was in school, and I've forgotten most of the little I learned. I thought it was high time I learned a bit more and that a high-level introduction to the presidents of the United States would be a good start. This book, the eleventh addition, fits the bill very well. Of course, a single volume covering all the presidents up to the current time has to cover each administration only in broad strokes.

Each section starts with the important dates of that president's life and political career. Important decisions and policies are included, along with background on those decisions. For such a compact book, there are also quite a few excerpts of speeches given by the presidents. There are about 35 pages of condensed information at the back of the book, and a portrait or photograph of each president. This eleventh edition ends with the election of Barack Obama.

All in all, this is a great book for someone who wants to brush up on U.S. Presidents before delving more deeply into any individual one, or someone like me who just didn't pay enough attention to history classes. ( )