Gathers interesting and humorous stories about American presidents from Washington to Reagan and shows little-known aspects of each one's personality

Presidential Anecdotes

Boller Jr., Paul F.

Biographies & Memoirs

Penguin??Books

Paul Boller's hugely admired anecdotal histories have consistently shown us new aspects and undiscovered sides to the lives of presidents and those around them. Presidential Inaugurations is no exception, as it illuminates the new life of the president from the moment he is elected to the moment he takes office. As might be expected from the most knowledgeable observer of American presidents, every chapter brings fresh delights that range from the sublime to, inevitably, the ridiculous. Boller accompanies Lincoln on his mysterious first entrance into Washington and renders the poignancy of FDR's last inauguration. There is the surprising appearance of Tallulah Bankhead at Truman's inauguration and the charming report on Eisenhower's 1953 inaugural by Jacqueline Bouvier. Highlighting inaugural moments from 1789 to 2001, Presidential Inaugurations presents the United States displaying its pride, its passions, and its prejudices as it greets a new leader.

Presidential Inaugurations

History

Americas

Houghton, mifflin, harcourt

Teen & Young Adult

Oxford University Press

Presidential Campaigns, an enlightening and endlessly entertaining history of American presidential elections, brings each campaign, from Washington to Reagan, vividly to life. Boller chronicles the frenzy and frolic spawned by campaigns--the songs, slogans, rallies, leaflets, parades, and hyperbolic oratory--and also gives an account of the serious side of elections--the great public debates on race relations, economic policy and the candidates' stands on the vital issues of the day. Above all, Boller makes clear that, despite their shortcomings, presidential campaigns are an inseparable part of democratic politics in the United States. These quadrennial showdowns have alternately perplexed, pleased and fascinated the American people, teaching us much about the character of our nation.

Presidential Campaigns

Literature & Fiction

Humor & Satire

As his previous books Presidential Anecdotes and Presidential Campaigns clearly proved, Paul F. Boller, Jr. has a remarkable eye for the telling detail that humanizes history and gives it life. In this new book, he brings that gift to bear on the women our Presidents married, and the result is a biographical feast--at once funny and poignant, dramatic and illuminating, covering every First Lady from Martha Washington to Nancy Reagan. In these vivid and entertaining pages, we encounter the trend-setter Dolley Madison's "unfortunate propensity to snuff-taking"--a propensity that soon had Washington's other women doing the same. We learn that Mary Todd Lincoln held such harsh opinions of some of her husband's appointments that he felt compelled to tell her, "If I listened to you, I should soon be without a cabinet." We meet Edith Wilson in a Red Cross canteen after America's entry into World War I, dispensing candy and cigarettes to the doughboys departing for France. We find Eleanor Roosevelt on the night of FDR's election to his first term, lamenting, "Now I'll have no identity," and then going on to become the greatest of all the "Woman Doers" to occupy the White House. And we hear Lady Bird Johnson's advice to her two young daughters prior to a State Dinner in honor of the President of Sudan: "Read all you can in the encyclopedia about the Sudan. And don't drink any of the wine at dinner." In the manner of his earlier books, Boller devotes a chapter to each of his subjects, featuring an incisive biographical essay followed by a selection of revealing anecdotes. The book portrays a diverse group of women--shrinking violets, passionate partisans, spotlight-loving hostesses, and devoted helpmeets who remained silent in public but actively advised their husbands in private. Once again, Boller delightfully demonstrates how much the institution of the presidency and all that surrounds it tells us about ourselves as a people and our life as a nation.

Presidential Wives

Leaders & Notable People

Abraham Lincoln never said, "You cannot fool all the people all the time." Thomas Jefferson never said, "That government is best which governs least." And Horace Greeley never said, "Go west, young man." In They Never Said It, Paul Boller, Jr., and John George examine hundreds of misquotations, incorrect attributions, and blatant fabrications, outlining the origins of the quotes and revealing why they should be consigned to the historical trashcan. Many of the misquotes are quite harmless. Some are inadvertent misquotes that have become popular (Shakespeare actually said, "The best part of valor is discretion"), others, the inventions of reporters embellishing a story (Franklin Roosevelt never opened a speech to a DAR group with the salutation, "My fellow immigrants"). But some of the quotes, such as Charles Darwin's supposed deathbed recantation of evolution, are blatantly dishonest and falsify the historical record. And others are chillingly vicious, filled with virulent racial and religious prejudices that completely distort the views of the person supposedly quoted and spread distrust and hatred among the gullible. These include the forged remarks attributed to Benjamin Franklin that Jews should be excluded from America, and the fabricated condemnation of Catholics attributed to Lincoln. An entertaining and yet thought-provoking book, They Never Said It sorts out a great deal of history and sets it right, going beyond a mere catalog of popular misconceptions to reveal how conservatives and liberals, atheists and evangelists, all have at times twisted and even invented the words of eminent figures to promote their own ends. It is the ultimate debunking reference, a perfect complement to handbooks of quotations.

They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions

Politics & Social Sciences

John, George

Politics & Government

As his previous books Presidential Anecdotes and Presidential Campaigns clearly prove, Paul F. Boller, Jr. has a remarkable eye for the telling details that vitalize and humanize history. Presidential Wives brings that gift to bear on the women our Presidents married by offering a poignant, amusing, dramatic, and illuminating biographical feast which covers every First Lady from Martha Washington to Nancy Reagan. These vivid and entertaining pages offer encounters with Dolley Madison, whose "unfortunate propensity to snuff-taking" eventually had Washington's other women doing the same; Mary Todd Lincoln, whose harsh opinions of so many of her husband's appointments led him to tell her, "If I listened to you, I should soon be without a cabinet"; and Eleanor Roosevelt, who lamented on the night of FDR's election to his first term that she would no longer have her own identity and then became the greatest of all the women activists to occupy the White House. As with his earlier books, Boller devotes a chapter to each of his subjects, including a biographical essay followed by a selection of revealing anecdotes. Portraying a diverse group of women--shrinking violets, passionate partisans, spotlight-loving hostesses, and devoted helpmates who remained silent in public but actively advised their husbands in private--Boller once again delightfully demonstrates how much the institution of the presidency and all that surrounds it tell us about ourselves as a nation.

Presidential Wives: An Anecdotal History

Community & Culture

You can count on Congress to provide a good laugh. Take, for instance, the Senator who talked about the war in "Indigo China," or the Representative who asked why the Israelis and Arabs couldn't settle their differences "like good Christians." But the U.S. Congress has always been much more than a good source of comedy. It has been home to brilliance as well as buffoonery, to integrity as well as corruption, to statesmanship as well as demagoguery. And in Congressional Anecdotes, Paul F. Boller, Jr., captures it all with a sweeping, informative, and delightful look at the history of our national legislature. A professional historian and author of the bestselling Presidential Anecdotes, Paul Boller again shows his gift for lively--and revealing--stories. In this collection he provides a fascinating view of the history of our Congress, a history that reflects the life and character of the nation in often surprising ways. The first Congress, for example, was serious about its task of setting precedents for the new republic, earnestly debating how the President should be addressed. But some Congressmen erupted in laughter when Vice President John Adams proposed "His Mighty Benign Highness," and they suggested in turn that Adams be hailed as "Your Rotundity." At one time dueling among members of Congress was common, and in the nineteenth century they often came to the Capitol armed with swords, pistols, and Bowie knives. In one session, as animosities flared between North and South, a general free-for-all broke out on the House floor and ended only when one Congressman pulled off another Congressman's wig, reducing the whole House to laughter. In the twentieth century, Boller reminds us, racial and sexual equality lagged on Capitol Hill just as it did across the country. For a long time black Congressmen were banned from the Congressional Dining Room because of their race, and the first women members waded in male condescension. Boller's book is filled with informative essays and entertaining stories about the sharp debates and fierce battles that took place in the nation's legislature during its first two hundred years. It also provides fascinating insights into its leading figures: John Randolph, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, Robert LaFollette, Sam Rayburn, Gerald Ford, Tip O'Neill, Robert Dole. Organizing the anecdotes by subject, Boller has written ten chapters about Congress, each of them containing essays and stories about such topics as "Congress-Bashing" (a practice almost as old as the Constitution itself), "Manners and Morals," "On the Floor" (Congressional debates), "Oratory," "In the Chair" (about Speakers and Vice Presidents), and "Congress and the President." Amusing, dramatic, and poignant, Boller's tales about Congress reveal the rich and vital past of one of America's greatest institutions, as well as the indispensable part it has played in the nation's development.

Congressional Anecdotes

Abraham Lincoln never said, "You cannot fool all the people all the time." Thomas Jefferson never said, "That government is best which governs least." And Horace Greeley never said, "Go west, young man." In They Never Said It, Paul F. Boller, Jr. and John George examine hundreds of misquotations, incorrect attributions, and blatant fabrications, outlining the origins of the quotes and revealing why we should consign them to the historical trashcan. Many of the misquotes are quite harmless. Some are inadvertent misquotes that have become popular (Shakespeare actually said, "The best part of valor is discretion"), others, the inventions of reporters embellishing a story (Franklin Roosevelt never opened a speech to a DAR group with the salutation, "My fellow immigrants"). But some of the quotes, such as Charles Darwin's supposed deathbed recantation of evolution, falsify the historical record with their blatant dishonesty. And other chillingly vicious ones, filled with virulent racial and religious prejudices, completely distort the views of the person supposedly quoted and spread distrust and hatred among the gullible. These include the forged remarks attributed to Benjamin Franklin that Jews should be excluded from America and the fabricated condemnation of Catholics attributed to Lincoln. An entertaining and thought-provoking book, They Never Said It covers a great deal of history and sets it right. Going beyond a mere catalog of popular misconceptions, Boller and George reveal how rightists and leftists, and atheists and evangelists all have at times twisted and even invented the words of eminent figures to promote their own ends. The ultimate debunking reference, it perfectly complements handbooks of quotations.

George, John

You can count on Congress to provide a good laugh. Take, for instance, the Senator who talked about the war in "Indigo China," or the Representative who asked why the Israelis and Arabs couldn't settle their differences "like good Christians." But the U.S. Congress has always been much more than a good source of comedy. It has been home to brilliance as well as buffoonery, to integrity as well as corruption, to statesmanship as well as demagoguery. And in Congressional Anecdotes Paul F. Boller, Jr. captures it all with a sweeping, informative, and delightful look at the history of our national legislature. A professional historian and author of the bestselling Presidential Anecdotes, Paul Boller again shows his gift for lively--and revealing--stories. In this collection he provides a fascinating view of the history of our Congress, a history that reflects the life and character of the nation in often surprising ways. The first Congress, for example, was serious about its task of setting precedents for the new republic, earnestly debating how the President should be addressed. But some Congressmen erupted in laughter when Vice President John Adams proposed "His Mighty Benign Highness," and they suggested in turn that Adams be hailed as "Your Rotundity." At one time dueling among members of Congress was common, and in the nineteenth century they often came to the Capitol armed with swords, pistols, and Bowie knives. In one session, as animosities flared between North and South, a general free-for-all broke out on the House floor and ended only when one Congressman pulled off another Congressman's wig, reducing the whole House to laughter. In the twentieth century, Boller reminds us, racial and sexual equality lagged on Capitol Hill just as it did across the country. For a long time black Congressmen were banned from the Congressional Dining Room because of their race, and the first women members waded in male condescension. Boller's book is filled with informative essays and entertaining stories about the sharp debates and fierce battles that took place in the nation's legislature during its first two hundred years. It also provides fascinating insights into its leading figures: John Randolph, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, Robert LaFollette, Sam Rayburn, Gerald Ford, Tip O'Neill, Robert Dole. Organizing the anecdotes by subject, Boller has written ten chapters about Congress, each of them containing essays and stories about such topics as "Congress-Bashing" (a practice almost as old as the Constitution itself), "Manners and Morals," "On the Floor" (Congressional debates), "Oratory," "In the Chair" (about Speakers and Vice Presidents), and "Congress and the President." Amusing, dramatic, and poignant, Boller's tales about Congress reveal the rich and vital past of one of America's greatest institutions, as well as the indispensable part it has played in the nation's development.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Boller Jr., Paul F.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Boller Jr., Paul F.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Boller Jr., Paul F.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Presidential Anecdotes

Presidential Inaugurations

Presidential Anecdotes

Presidential Campaigns

Presidential Wives

They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions

Presidential Wives: An Anecdotal History

Congressional Anecdotes

They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions

Congressional Anecdotes