Presidents and Their Books: What They Read & Wrote; From the Collection of Susan Jaffe Tane

A richly illustrated look at the book collections of all 46 American presidents to date—and what we can learn from them about their owners.

With a few exceptions, American presidents have been readers. This book surveys an outstanding collection by Susan Jaffe Tane that encompasses books every US president owned and collected as a part of their personal libraries, as well as books they wrote. From a 1793 Memoir of a Map of Hindoostan that once belonged to George Washington, to Promise me, Dad, a 2017 memoir by Joe Biden, these books provide an intimate glimpse into the lives of our presidents and offer insight into their private personalities and, consequently, their political personae.
 

Natalie Flaxman is a young writer with an interest in American history as a reflection of the civic and social problems of her generation. She lives with her parents and her brother Spenser in suburban Westchester County, New York.
 

Spenser Flaxman is a young writer with an interest in American history as a reflection of the civic and social problems of his generation. He lives with his parents and his sister Natalie in suburban Westchester County, New York.
 

Susan Jaffe Tane is a curator and collector of Edgar Allan Poe books, manuscripts, and artifacts, as well as a former vice president of Utensco.