For Presidents’ Day on February 16th, we are sharing books by and about United States presidents to educate on the history and influences their roles have on current day politics.
Books for Presidents’ Day
By Coll Rowe | February 11 2026 | General
How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower and JFK through Reagan and Bush
9780593183137
Steven Gillon, New York Times bestselling author of America’s Reluctant Prince, returns with the story of how WWII shaped the characters and policy of six American presidents.
$35.00 US
Feb 18, 2025
Hardcover
528 Pages
Dutton
- History > Global Conflicts > World War II
- History > Period History: U.S. > America in the 20th Century (1900-1945)
- History > Period History: U.S. > America in the 20th Century (1945-2000)
- History > Topical History > History of Political Thought
- Political Science > American Government and Politics > American Government
- Political Science > American Government and Politics > Presidency
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My Life After the White House
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
Racism, Republicans, and the Road to Trump
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
How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America
9780593297889
A compelling and nuanced exploration of Abraham Lincoln’s political acumen, illuminating a great politician’s strategy in a country divided—and lessons for our own disorderly present.
$20.00 US
Feb 11, 2025
Paperback
352 Pages
Penguin Books
Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House
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.
$26.00 US
Feb 20, 2024
Paperback
528 Pages
Vintage
A Broken Man, a Corrupt Party, and a World on the Brink
9798890571847
Trump didn't break American democracy—he revealed how broken it already was.
$24.95 US
Sep 23, 2025
Paperback
224 Pages
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America
9780593832530
The definitive, inside story of the most tumultuous and consequential presidential campaign in our history.
$32.00 US
Jul 08, 2025
Hardcover
416 Pages
Penguin Press
- History > Period History: U.S. > America in the 21st Century
- Political Science > American Government and Politics > American Government
- Political Science > American Government and Politics > Elections
- Political Science > American Government and Politics > Political Parties and Interest Groups
- Political Science > American Government and Politics > Presidency
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Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment
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
- History > Period History: U.S. > America in the 19th Century
- History > Period History: U.S. > Civil War and Reconstruction (1854-1876)
- History > Topical History > History of Political Thought
- Philosophy > Social and Political Philosophy > Political Philosophy
- Political Science > American Government and Politics > American Government
- Political Science > American Government and Politics > Federalism
- Political Science > American Government and Politics > Presidency
- Political Science > Introduction to Political Science > Introduction to Political Science
- Political Science > Introduction to Political Science > Political Ideologies
- Political Science > Introduction to Political Science > Political Philosophy
- Political Science > Introduction to Political Science > Political Theory and Thought
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The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America
9780593475614
From the author of the National Book Award longlisted title The Ground Breaking, a riveting new look at the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, replete with evidence pointing to a much larger Confederate conspiracy.
$32.00 US
Jul 15, 2025
Hardcover
336 Pages
Dutton
Tags: President's Day
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