Books for Presidents’ Day

By Coll Rowe | February 13 2025 | Political ScienceHistory

In acknowledgment of Presidents’ Day, we are sharing titles about the history, influences, and legacies of United States presidents.

Find the full collection of titles here.

The Hardest Job in the World
The Hardest Job in the World
The American Presidency
John Dickerson
9781984854537
From the veteran political journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent, a deep dive into the history, evolution, and current state of the American presidency—and how we can make the job less impossible and more productive.
$20.00 US
Mar 23, 2021
Paperback
672 Pages
Random House Trade Paperbacks
Citizen
Citizen
My Life After the White House
Bill Clinton
9780525521440
A powerful, candid, and richly detailed memoir from an American icon, revealing what life looks like after the presidency: triumphs, tribulations, and all.
$38.00 US
Nov 19, 2024
Hardcover
464 Pages
Knopf
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
A Man for the Whole People
Randall Woods
9780593187241
A magisterial journey through the epic life and transformative times of John Quincy Adams.
$45.00 US
Jun 25, 2024
Hardcover
784 Pages
Dutton
Reconsidering Reagan
Reconsidering Reagan
Racism, Republicans, and the Road to Trump
Daniel S. Lucks
9780807002902
A long-overdue and sober examination of President Ronald Reagan's racist politics that continue to harm communities today and helped shape the modern conservative movement.
$18.95 US
Jun 22, 2021
Paperback
360 Pages
Beacon Press
Dinner with the President
Dinner with the President
Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House
Alex Prud'homme
9780525433033

A wonderfully entertaining, often surprising history of presidential taste, from the grim meals eaten by Washington and his starving troops at Valley Forge to Trump’s fast-food burgers and Biden’s ice cream—what they ate, why they ate it, and what it tells us about the state of the nation.

$25.00 US
Feb 20, 2024
Paperback
528 Pages
Vintage
Ascent to Power
Ascent to Power
How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt's Shadow and Remade the World
David L. Roll
9780593186442

The fascinating story behind the most consequential presidential transition in US history, from Franklin Roosevelt to Harry Truman, and the legacy Truman struggled to overcome to lead America into a new, post-war world.

$33.00 US
Apr 23, 2024
Hardcover
544 Pages
Dutton
Our Ancient Faith
Our Ancient Faith
Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment
Allen C. Guelzo
9780593534441

An intimate study of Abraham Lincoln’s powerful vision of democracy, which guided him through the Civil War and is still relevant today—by best-selling historian and three-time winner of the Lincoln Prize.

$30.00 US
Feb 06, 2024
Hardcover
272 Pages
Knopf
Travels with George
Travels with George
In Search of Washington and His Legacy
Nathaniel Philbrick
9780525562191

Bestselling author Nathaniel Philbrick argues for Washington’s unique contribution to the forging of America by retracing his journey as a new president through all thirteen former colonies, which were now an unsure nation.

$18.00 US
May 31, 2022
Paperback
400 Pages
Penguin Books
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