- Hardcover: 608 pages
- Publisher: Bodley Head (1 July 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1847920020
- ISBN-13: 978-1847920027
- Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 5.2 x 24 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
229,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4 in Books > Biography > Political > United States > Bush, George
- #7 in Books > Biography > Political > United States > Roosevelt, Franklin
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Product Description
Review
`Rogues and (a few) heroes - they are all here in this impressive gallop through eighty years of US history.' --Literary Review
`a provocative, stimulating, infuriating and readable history' --Herald
`incisive and highly entertaining' --Irish Times
'American Caesars is a commanding study on the nature of personal authority and the presidency.'
--Irish Times
'a delight of a summer book: history for the beach, politics for the deckchair ... waspish entertainment come rain or shine.' --Guardian
`Hamilton, like Suetonius, is full of curt dismissals and insouciant judgements. He hasn't produced one dull essay in 12.'
--Guardian
'Nigel Hamilton has chosen the ideal model for his mighty president's-eye view of post-war US history' --Daily Express
'...a brilliant idea to take Suetonius's The Twelve Caesars... to make it the template for a...portrait of the 12 emperors of America' --Prospect, `Emperors of the White House', Andrew Adonis
`a provocative, stimulating, infuriating and readable history' --Herald
`incisive and highly entertaining' --Irish Times
'American Caesars is a commanding study on the nature of personal authority and the presidency.'
--Irish Times
'a delight of a summer book: history for the beach, politics for the deckchair ... waspish entertainment come rain or shine.' --Guardian
`Hamilton, like Suetonius, is full of curt dismissals and insouciant judgements. He hasn't produced one dull essay in 12.'
--Guardian
'Nigel Hamilton has chosen the ideal model for his mighty president's-eye view of post-war US history' --Daily Express
'...a brilliant idea to take Suetonius's The Twelve Caesars... to make it the template for a...portrait of the 12 emperors of America' --Prospect, `Emperors of the White House', Andrew Adonis
Book Description
Eminent biographer Nigel Hamilton offers a group biography of the twelve caesars of our time: the American Presidents from F.D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I bought this as a present for my son, but couldn't resist a quick look myself - and then just had to read the whole thing before I gave it back.
It's well written, with a very dry, understated sense of humour at times. It gives a fascinating and often startling insight into the personalities of the twelve presidents, and a vivid picture of politics in the last two thirds of the twentieth century. Some revelations too - I certainly hadn't realised that Lyndon Johnson was interested in improving welfare and really didn't want to go to war in Vietnam, but did so mainly to avoid defeat by more right-wing opponents (a recurring, and pretty depressing, theme in the stories). Also shows how intelligence and good motives won't necessarily make a good president (they did for FDR, but Jimmy Carter, probably the "best" human being of the twelve, was an ineffective president, while Reagan succeeded largely by being charming, laid-back and an excellent delegator). The parallels with the Roman Empire are telling and well-drawn.
I recommend this to anyone who has the slightest interest in world affairs, or indeed to anyone who fancies a book of immensely readable mini-biographies.
It's well written, with a very dry, understated sense of humour at times. It gives a fascinating and often startling insight into the personalities of the twelve presidents, and a vivid picture of politics in the last two thirds of the twentieth century. Some revelations too - I certainly hadn't realised that Lyndon Johnson was interested in improving welfare and really didn't want to go to war in Vietnam, but did so mainly to avoid defeat by more right-wing opponents (a recurring, and pretty depressing, theme in the stories). Also shows how intelligence and good motives won't necessarily make a good president (they did for FDR, but Jimmy Carter, probably the "best" human being of the twelve, was an ineffective president, while Reagan succeeded largely by being charming, laid-back and an excellent delegator). The parallels with the Roman Empire are telling and well-drawn.
I recommend this to anyone who has the slightest interest in world affairs, or indeed to anyone who fancies a book of immensely readable mini-biographies.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Nigel Hamilton has produced a fantastic work, if you want to have a really good snapshot of any of the 12 presidents from FDR to GWB look no further.
As well as the facts about their rise to the white house, in each case it is the little details about their personal lives, which has been a revelation to me, for example LBJ and his womanising and bad treatment of Lady Bird.
This book also confirmed my worse fears about the George W Bush presidency and the fact that it was really the Dick and Don presidency!
The format, based on the classic account of the original 12 caesars, is also a great way to address the subject and the concise structure of the description of each "Caesar" will keep me coming back to these accounts as a future reference point.
Excellent!!
As well as the facts about their rise to the white house, in each case it is the little details about their personal lives, which has been a revelation to me, for example LBJ and his womanising and bad treatment of Lady Bird.
This book also confirmed my worse fears about the George W Bush presidency and the fact that it was really the Dick and Don presidency!
The format, based on the classic account of the original 12 caesars, is also a great way to address the subject and the concise structure of the description of each "Caesar" will keep me coming back to these accounts as a future reference point.
Excellent!!
Format:Hardcover
In two parts, in brief and a complaint.
1) This is a well written extremely interesting book, it covers the most interesting period in American history from pre war to current day and how each President has influenced (or not) the stage of world affairs.
2) However....if you get this as a Kindle read it is frustrating as on my IPad the location is on that awful '%' basis (location 4% 485 of 10,568 - what the hell does that mean?) Why? It is never that much cheaper to buy a Kindle version than an actual book, so why the shoddy presentation? There are numerous footnote number errors, gaps, it is really poorly done. I know that this is not the only book to suffers this way, I feel that the lackadaisical attitude by Amazon will come back one day and bite them hard, people will not put up with this and will start complaining in droves.
1) This is a well written extremely interesting book, it covers the most interesting period in American history from pre war to current day and how each President has influenced (or not) the stage of world affairs.
2) However....if you get this as a Kindle read it is frustrating as on my IPad the location is on that awful '%' basis (location 4% 485 of 10,568 - what the hell does that mean?) Why? It is never that much cheaper to buy a Kindle version than an actual book, so why the shoddy presentation? There are numerous footnote number errors, gaps, it is really poorly done. I know that this is not the only book to suffers this way, I feel that the lackadaisical attitude by Amazon will come back one day and bite them hard, people will not put up with this and will start complaining in droves.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very good read, despite its shortcomings and negatives
Having read Nigel Hamilton's book about a month ago now, I decided to tack on a review here. However I'm still conflicted by the book, whether I liked it, or didn't like it as much... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. Soap
So so...
whilst being an easy read and sometimes entertaining, there is little in the way of new information or particularly original views in this fairly strongly opinionated summary. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Clive Pacey
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