The  President's Pen: Reflections on  Presidential Literature

by Jeffrey A Margolis

In 1785, Thomas Jefferson published his first book, Notes on the State of Virginia. In doing so, Jefferson appeared to have started a trend as more than half of the U.S. presidents since have published at least one book. Some of them were better at writing books than others. One Chief Executive went on to write forty volumes. Another earned a Pulitzer Prize for Biography. The motivations behind the publication of presidential works were varied. Some wrote to establish their credentials for the Presidency. Others wrote to make money. The topics are as varied as the motivations. They range from memoirs, to history books, to art works, and business tips. The President’s Pen examines the writings of sixteen Presidents of the United States, providing the reader with stories and anecdotes in an easy to understand format.

ISBN: 978-1-62249-541-2

Pages: 155

About the Author

Jeffrey Margolis is an educator, author and lecturer. He taught at the Richard Stockton University of New Jersey and Rowan University and was elected to the university’s Wall of Fame. He is the author of Teen Crime Wave and Violence in Sports as well as numerous newspaper and magazine articles. Margolis was a contributor to education textbooks and the Encyclopedia of New Jersey. He has lectured at the Collier County (Florida) Library, the Renaissance Academy, numerous civic groups, and the Holocaust Museum and Education Center of Southwest Florida. Margolis lives in Florida with his wife. For more information, please check out the website www.presidentspen.com.

Jeffrey Margolis’s The President’s Pen: Reflections on Presidential Literature is an important contribution to literature on the American presidency, particularly scholarship on those presidents who not only fulfilled the duties of chief executive but also enjoyed creditable reputations as authors. Margolis’s well researched study explores the scope and significance of their writings while also examining the diverse motivations that inspired their work. Especially insightful and engaging is Margolis’s analysis of the writings of two of our most prolific presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

Paul L. Miles, Ph.D., former associate professor of history, United States Military Academy, and lecturer in history, Princeton University.