In Author in Chief, one of the most interesting books I have read in recent years, Craig Fehrman “tells the story of how, when, and why America’s presidents began writing books — and why Americans have been been so consistenty drawn to reading them. The modern idea of an author (powerful and isolated, reaching a national audience) is a new one. So is the modern idea of a president (powerful and isolated, setting their national agenda). These ideas grew up together, but it took time.”

For example, in Chapter Ten, Fehrman suggests that Harry Truman’s Memoirs “was an imperfect book, with a better, slimmer volume lurking within. Not as slim as Coolidge’s Autobiography –Truman was right to discuss more policy than his predecessor did, in part because he made more policy — but something closer to 200,000 words, with most of the cuts falling on the president’s beloved documents…It did little to boost Truman’s reputation.”

Fehrman then suggests, “What made Harry a hero was a different book: David McCullough’s massive biography, Truman (1992). In the early 1980s, about a decade after Truman’s death, McCullough’s publisher suggested he write a book about Roosevelt. The author countered with a surprising subject: the president who followed him…Truman eventually moved more than a million hardcovers. ‘For this to happen to a $30, 1,100-page biography, ‘ McCullough told a reporter, ‘well, I won’t call it unprecedented, but…’ His voice went quiet. Even the historian couldn’t find a precedent.”

That said, the pages in the Memoirs “exist because of Truman’s passion and persistence — because of his character. His respect for history and his capacity for hard work created an incredible archive, even if they didn’t lead to an incredible book. Truman’s Memoirs may not be the work of a skilled writer. But it is something just as important: the work of a faithful reader.”

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Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out McCullough’s magnificent biography; also another, A.J. Baime’s The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2017).

Craig Fehrman is a journalist and historian who has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He lives in Indiana with his wife and children. Remarkably, Author in Chief is his first book.

Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They wrote was published by Avid Reader Press ( 2020).