Presidential biography reading list

These are the biographies I&#;ve read so far on my quest to plod through the presidents.

Check out my About page for more information on me, the site, and how I choose which books to read. You&#;ll also find sources listed at the bottom of each post so you can get just as lost as me on the rabbit trails of history.

#1 
Washington: The Indispensable Man

by James Thomas Flexner

Flexner wrote a beloved 4-volume biography of George Washington. Then, he consolidated his behemoth into a readable one-volume version for people like me. I came away with a much deeper understanding of the boy who yearned to be a British soldier and went on to defeat the British army. At a relatively quick pages, it left me with the sense there was a lot more beneath the surface. If I were to read a second Washington bio, I might pick up Ron Chernow&#;s Washington: A Life.

Flexner&#;s biography also comes in a beautiful fully-illustrated version.

Read my posts abou

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Best Presidential Biographies

Years ago my colleague, Michael Waldron, and I decided to read at least one biography of every U.S. president. We started before we met and made mostly independent choices on which books to read. We finally got through all the Presidents and compared notes to create a best presidential biographies reading list. If we read different books, I start with Michael&#;s notes, then mine, and give you our verdict.

George Washington

MW: Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow. I enjoyed the biography. I&#;m confident Chernow does his research and produces a comprehensive work.

SA: Washington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner. A single volume distillation of Flexner&#;s definitive four-volume biography provides a dated but then definitive overview of Washington. I liked it. When Chernow&#;s book came out, I ended up reading it too.

Verdict: Chernow&#;s book. More recent and detailed.

John Adams

John Adamsby David McCullo