The Autobiography of Martin Van Buren (Reprints of Economic Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Memoirs of "the Magician"
Review: Van Buren wrote his memoirs in the 1850s while living in England. The work covers the period from his early political carrer in New York through Andrew Jackson's presidency. Van Buren's own presidency in not covered. His anecdotes regarding Jackson, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John Calhoun are interesting and stimulate one to read more of the era. The animosity between the Federalist and Republican parties in the early 19th century is also a common theme. There is a lot of self-serving fluff regarding issues the affected Van Buren the politician as the book passes the halfway point and my interest here waned. Van Buren never mentions his wife--although his sons are mentioned. If you are interested in this era of American history and have a prior grasp of the issues at hand, this work may provide some enjoyable and entertaining insight into the period.