Rating: 
Summary: Big book... big topic...
Review: As a Canadian, I cannot fully judge on the accuracy of all information presented in this massive tome, but I can say that it is a most enjoyable read. You'll find that when you start to flip through this BIG book, you'll have a hard time putting it down. The presentation is not chronological and it made for interesting comparison of the 41 men who've risen to the top of American politics. The photos... oh the photos! This is an outstanding collection and the book is well worth the purchase for the photo essays alone. Some of these pictures, I've seen - we've all seen 'em, they're famous - but the vast majority are not oft seen images, many of them presenting a most personal side to each man. I learned lots I didn't know about American politics and the office of the President in general. This is a book to have for the library. A great reference and a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: A useful overview, but hardly authoritative
Review: As a collection of photographs and art, this book is superb. The series of photos of Warren Harding posing dramatically tell you a great deal about the man, while the engraving of Washington playing the flute is properly mind-bending. And yes, the organizational device does, in and of itself, spark the mind to some interesting considerations of the ties that bind these men. The text itself, however, is a disappointment, which is perhaps no surprise: this is after all the companion volume to a TV show, so I suppose I can't complain too much that the visuals are terrific but the content is on the thin side. (And that the emphasis is overwhelmingly on personalities rather than policies.) What else would it be? As an overview, then, for someone just beginning to look into the American presidency, this volume has a lot to recommend it. But if you already have some familiarity with most of these men (as I do, after a rather odd 5th-grade obsession) then there really isn't anything new to be found in the chapters. If you want a stellar collection of photographs then, without reservation, the book is terrific. If you want something more substantial about the men who have been president, you might want to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A useful overview, but hardly authoritative
Review: As a collection of photographs and art, this book is superb. The series of photos of Warren Harding posing dramatically tell you a great deal about the man, while the engraving of Washington playing the flute is properly mind-bending. And yes, the organizational device does, in and of itself, spark the mind to some interesting considerations of the ties that bind these men. The text itself, however, is a disappointment, which is perhaps no surprise: this is after all the companion volume to a TV show, so I suppose I can't complain too much that the visuals are terrific but the content is on the thin side. (And that the emphasis is overwhelmingly on personalities rather than policies.) What else would it be? As an overview, then, for someone just beginning to look into the American presidency, this volume has a lot to recommend it. But if you already have some familiarity with most of these men (as I do, after a rather odd 5th-grade obsession) then there really isn't anything new to be found in the chapters. If you want a stellar collection of photographs then, without reservation, the book is terrific. If you want something more substantial about the men who have been president, you might want to look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: A masterpiece of layout and illustration.
Review: As for the writing and scholarship of this book, I think the reviews that follow say it better than I can. (I do have some reservations about categorizing presidents outside of their chronological order. Perhaps the writers should have just stuck to a simple time-line.) Here are some of the impressive photos you will find in this volume. Some of them I have not seen in other books on the subject of the presidency. "The many moods of Ike." The floor being buffed in the Eisenhower White House. A Napoleonic pose struck by Franklin Pierce. A young Garfield with disheveled hair. (Lincoln also with messy mane.) A full page shot of Harding with leaping Airedale Laddy Boy. Harding in various speech poses. Ford deep in thought with pipe (!) - a full page. LBJ gazing at sculpted Lincoln head. A sullen Zachary Taylor showing how the presidency has aged him. One of the last daguerreotypes of John Quincy Adams. JFK kissing his dad's head in the fateful year of 1963. Stunning daguerreotypes of John Tyler & Millard Fillmore. Andrew Johnson on a picnic (seated next to Grant)! McKinley poses. Cleveland at his desk (one of "numerous" photos in existence). The book is worth owning just for the pictures. It is really a splendid achievement.
Rating:
Summary: Almost there, but not quite . . .
Review: For the most part, this collection of information about the presidency is well-organized, most notably with the grouping of of presidents not in chronological order but instead by certain subjects or personality traits. The photographs alone earn this book a spot on your shelf. However, I part company with anyone who believes that this book is strictly an historical glimpse of the presidency. The authors have a palpable bias that should be obvious to anyone who takes the time to read carefully. For example, the authors state that President Eisenhower was unwilling to sacrifice his own popularity by fighting more aggressively against the arms race or by taking stands on difficult issues. However, no mention is made of the fact that Eisenhower integrated the military, or took complete personal responsibility for the U-2 incident. Neither was the act of a man concerned more about his own popularity than for the good of the country, and causes me to wonder to what source the authors have looked for their research. Certainly reading the farcical section on Bill Clinton places the authors' bias in full relief. While criticizing Eisenhower for his (according to the authors) unwillingness to be assertive at the expense of his popularity, President Clinton is lionized while COngress is demonized. While Eisenhower came clean when he made a huge mistake, Clinton to this day has never fessed up-something the authors apparently believe has nothing to do with an effective presidency. Clinton should be thankful for this soft treatment, since history will be far less kind (but far more accurate).
Rating:
Summary: Reader Was Disappointing
Review: I found the reader in the CD/cassette versions difficult to listen to. His diction was mushy, almost slurred. Although I have some reservations about the book (such as its unconventional organization, which may be more confusing in the audio format), overall it was interesting and informative. But the reader really detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Reader Was Disappointing
Review: I found the reader in the CD/cassette versions difficult to listen to. His diction was mushy, almost slurred. Although I have some reservations about the book (such as its unconventional organization, which may be more confusing in the audio format), overall it was interesting and informative. But the reader really detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Just what I was looking for
Review: I got the CD version of TAP so I could learn something during my commute to work. This CD is exactly what I wanted. I learned a lot and enjoyed it. I think that anyone but a history major will find a lot of new material in this CD. After trying Dan Rather's "The 20th Century", I was afraid that this would be another superficial and expensive waste of time. Nope. This is more than worthwhile. Now I'm back at Amazon to see what other CDs the authors have done.
Rating:
Summary: Impartial examination of American Presidents
Review: I selected to read "The American President" as an introduction into the political and apolitical lives of our countries revered leaders. I have been impressed with not only the superb thematic organization of the presidents, but the congeries of information that the authors of this volume successfully disseminate. In reading about the lives of our countries leaders, you discover that a handful of our Presidents were reared without a formal education, affluence, or even a proper introduction into politics. Some either made a conscience decision to enter politics or were drafted into the political lyceum by default. You learn that William Henry Harrison (1841) was in office for merely a month before dying of pneumonia, or that James Garfield (1881)was in office less than four months before he was gunned down at a Washington railroad station. If you are looking for an anthology of American Presidents with just the right amount of historical information to get you started, this book is an excellent choice.
Rating:
Summary: A Terific Book
Review: I was encouraged to purchase this book because of the way in which the content was organized. I returned the book for a refund after reading the chapter on Clinton. If one does a page count devoted to each of the presidents, one must assume that the authors feel, as Al Gore does, that Clinton will be considered one of our greatest presidents. It is mysterious to me how anyone, looking back on the Clinton years, could contrive an opinion, as the authors do, that Clinton's problems were concocted by a hostile congress. This is political hype not history.
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