# Which US Presidents need a definitive book written about them? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 15, 2020, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448 "2020-07-15T23:22:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/1 "2020-07-15T23:22:59Z")
Off the top of my head, I’m thinking we need new and substantial books on Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter and Andrew Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/2 "2020-07-15T23:31:39Z")
Not sure it’d be very salacious but Taft has a hell of a bio. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/3 "2020-07-15T23:35:18Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Not sure it’d be very salacious but Taft has a hell of a bio . _The Bully Pulpit_ covers Taft quite extensively. As I recall, it more about his pre-Presidential days so not exactly a definitive book about his time in the White House (although his presidency is certainly covered). ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/4 "2020-07-15T23:46:06Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised if Taft has a handful of “definitive” books written about him, much like all the presidents really, but part of what makes Taft so interesting is his POST Presidential career. Also he actually did a lot of the stuff that Teddy Roosevelt gets credit for during his presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/5 "2020-07-19T21:32:34Z")
Reagan can got to hell where he belongs. I’d go along with Carter. Jackson seems thoroughly covered already. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/6 "2020-07-20T00:42:03Z")
Jackson?? [https://images.app.goo.gl/LHqJsSTt3rures1x8](https://images.app.goo.gl/LHqJsSTt3rures1x8) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/7 "2020-07-20T01:07:08Z")
OK, they’re not _definitive_. Better than that: they’re short. I really like the [American Presidents Series](https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/the-american-presidents/39933/). They’re up to 43 books now. I’ve read at least half, and they have uniformly been excellent and very readable summaries of presidential careers, with some backstory for context. . ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/8 "2020-07-21T00:00:58Z")
Regardless of your personal opinion of Reagan, there really is a shortage of books about him. He was incredibly influential. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/9 "2020-07-25T06:07:17Z")
So was John Wilkes Booth. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/10 "2020-07-25T13:22:49Z")
Not really. The assassination certainly changed history but Booth himself isn’t notable. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/11 "2020-07-25T20:30:51Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > The assassination certainly changed history … Which is what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/12 "2020-07-26T03:10:22Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Reagan can got to hell where he belongs. THANK YOU. I’m tired of the praise heaped on this doddering idiot who began the inexorable tearing down of what little social safety nets there were in order to feed a relentless military buildup and to cheerlead insatiable corporate greed. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/13 "2020-07-26T15:58:03Z")
No one wants another Reagan is a God or Reagan was Satan book. I want a book written by scholars. It’s been 40 years. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-us-presidents-need-a-definitive-book-written-about-them/915448/14 "2020-07-26T16:49:15Z")
I think a nice fat hardcover, extreme close up on the frontispiece, big block lettered title reading McKINLEY book would be worth looking into. The guy did usher in America’s colonial age with a least remembered war. America’s first forays onto the world stage would be worth a definitive narrative. Most people only remember McKinley as a fat President who got shot at a world’s fair, if they remember him at all.