Listmania!
Presidential- Biographies Read in Order of Terms in Office
By an Amazon.com customer
Washington: The Indispensable ManWashington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner
Buy new: $12.91 / Used from: $1.37
The obvious choice to be our first leader.
John AdamsJohn Adams by David McCullough
Buy new: $26.40 / Used from: $0.37
A great read. The book's popularity speaks for itself.
Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate HistoryThomas Jefferson: An Intimate History by Fawn McKay Brodie
Buy new: $13.57 / Used from: $3.22
Not sure I would pick this one again.
James Madison: A BiographyJames Madison: A Biography by Dr. Ralph Ketcham PhD
Buy new: $15.87 / Used from: $10.25
This one was a struggle to get through.
James Monroe: The Quest for National IdentityJames Monroe: The Quest for National Identity by Mr. Harry Ammon
Buy new: $16.24 / Used from: $6.84
Pretty interesting bio on the last of the big five.
John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private LifeJohn Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private Life by Paul C. Nagel
Buy new: $17.64 / Used from: $8.50
What an incredible personality but so ill-suited for the Presidency.
The Life of Andrew Jackson (Perennial Classics)The Life of Andrew Jackson (Perennial Classics) by Robert V. Remini
Buy new: $16.20 / Used from: $1.55
Very nice biography and a solid read.
Martin Van Buren and the Emergence of American Popular PoliticsMartin Van Buren and the Emergence of American Popular Politics by Joel H. Silbey
Buy new: $64.00 / Used from: $29.25
zzzzzzzzz What a wasted presidency.
Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time (Signature Series)Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time (Signature Series) by Freeman Cleaves
Buy new: $30.00 / Used from: $28.99
Such a long book for such a short presidency.
John Tyler: Champion of the Old South (Signature Series)John Tyler: Champion of the Old South (Signature Series) by Oliver P. Chitwood
Buy new: $32.50 / Used from: $26.99
Parts of this one are actually interesting.
James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse (2nd Edition) (Library of American Biography)James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse (2nd Edition) (Library of American Biography) by Sam W. Haynes
Buy used from: $2.99
Actually a very interesting biography.
Zachary Taylor : Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old SouthwestZachary Taylor : Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest by K. Jack Bauer
Buy new: $16.29 / Used from: $7.43
Never voted in a presidential race.
Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President (Signature Series)Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President (Signature Series) by Robert J. Raybach
Buy new: $32.50 / Used from: $75.84
An intriguing portrayal of the last President with a chance of saving the union.
The Presidency of Franklin Pierce (American Presidency Series)The Presidency of Franklin Pierce (American Presidency Series) by Larry Gara
Buy new: $23.96 / Used from: $23.95
10% about Pierce - 90% about the political and social issues of his day.
James Buchanan: The American Presidents Series: The 15th President, 1857-1861James Buchanan: The American Presidents Series: The 15th President, 1857-1861 by Jean H. Baker
Buy new: $14.96 / Used from: $8.10
A most interesting book on a most terrible President.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham LincolnTeam of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $7.40
What a great book about the greatest of Presidents. Didn't want it to end.
Andrew Johnson: A BiographyAndrew Johnson: A Biography by Hans L. Trefousse
Buy new: $13.16 / Used from: $2.84
A very well written biography. Thoroughly researched and easy to read.
GrantGrant by Jean Edward Smith
Buy new: $15.84 / Used from: $0.90
An intriguing book whose author skillfully avoided/whitewashed some of the corruption of his administration. Still, a very good read.
Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior and PresidentRutherford B. Hayes: Warrior and President by Ari Hoogenboom
Buy new: $36.00 / Used from: $25.10
A detailed biography. He was the first education president.
Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. GarfieldDark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield by Kenneth D. Ackerman
Buy used from: $3.00
An excellent book. It reads more like a novel than an historical biography. Ackerman explores all of the possible angles leading up to Garfield's murder.
Chester Alan Arthur: The American Presidents Series: The 21st President, 1881-1885Chester Alan Arthur: The American Presidents Series: The 21st President, 1881-1885 by Zachary Karabell
Buy new: $14.96 / Used from: $4.14
An adequate read for a forgotten President. He never ran for an elected office and yet was our 21st President.
An Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of Grover ClevelandAn Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of Grover Cleveland by H. P. Jeffers
Buy used from: $29.95
An easy read book that portrayed him as the consumate man of integrity - even though he was billed as something less during his time.
Benjamin Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 23rd President, 1889-1893Benjamin Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 23rd President, 1889-1893 by Charles W. Calhoun
Buy new: $13.60 / Used from: $6.98
The last President to wear a beard. That's about it.
Grover Cleveland: A Study in CharacterGrover Cleveland: A Study in Character by Alyn Brodsky
Buy used from: $12.22
I didn't read this book but the man was elected to two non-consecutive terms. Hey, he deserves to have two biographies on the list.
William McKinley and His AmericaWilliam McKinley and His America by H. Wayne Morgan
Buy new: $40.95 / Used from: $33.25
Interesting President. Good Book.
T.R.: The Last RomanticT.R.: The Last Romantic by H. W. Brands
Buy new: $18.45 / Used from: $2.82
He was depicted during his time as larger than life and he did everything he could to support that depiction.
William Howard Taft: Confident PeacemakerWilliam Howard Taft: Confident Peacemaker by David Burton
Buy new: $20.00 / Used from: $19.98
An average book and an average President.
Woodrow Wilson: World StatesmanWoodrow Wilson: World Statesman by Kendrick A. Clements
Buy new: $14.21 / Used from: $2.00
This one got better and better the more that I read it.
Life and Times of Warren G. Harding: Our After War PresidentLife and Times of Warren G. Harding: Our After War President by Joe Mitchell Chapple
Buy new: $28.84 / Used from: $23.95
The cheesiest biography I have ever read. Must have been edited by his mother. Avoid this one at all costs.
Coolidge: An American EnigmaCoolidge: An American Enigma by Robert Sobel
Buy used from: $8.99
A thoughtful and good read. I would definitely recommend it.
Herbert Hoover: Forgotten ProgressiveHerbert Hoover: Forgotten Progressive by Joan Hoff Wilson
Buy new: $13.95 / Used from: $0.66
This one was more about the social and political issues that whirled about Hoover rather than about the person. Less biography and more sociology than I preferred. Couldn't wait for it to end.
FDRFDR by Jean Edward Smith
Buy used from: $3.50
An excellent book. Well written and researched. Highly recommend this one.
TrumanTruman by David McCullough
Buy new: $15.84 / Used from: $1.64
Very complete biography by an excellent author.
Eisenhower: Soldier and President (The Renowned One-Volume Life)Eisenhower: Soldier and President (The Renowned One-Volume Life) by Stephen E. Ambrose
Buy new: $12.24 / Used from: $1.43
A steady president who was probably better suited to be a general than a president.
An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917 - 1963 (Dynasty)An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917 - 1963 (Dynasty) by Robert Dallek
Buy new: $12.91 / Used from: $2.88
A fascinating book. Very well written and full of detail.
Lyndon Johnson and the American DreamLyndon Johnson and the American Dream by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Buy new: $14.95 / Used from: $1.57
Excellent writing and narrative about an amazingly insecure president.
Nixon: A LifeNixon: A Life by Editions D'Art Monelle Hayot
Buy used from: $3.84
What an incredible situation. He was so brilliant and yet so flawed. Might be the best one I have read so far. Although the author is softer on Nixon than most others, he appears to be relatively fair and balanced. Such an intriguing man.
Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment With HistoryTime and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment With History by James Cannon
Buy new: $24.95 / Used from: $0.75
There clearly has not been enough time elapse for there to be a comprehensive biography of the Ford presidency. Keep looking and maybe you will find a better one. This one spent almost 1/3 of the book discussing Nixon and a short chapter discussing the Ford Presidency.