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4.0 out of 5
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4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, but Hardly Anything about Harrison's Presidency
Gail Collins is known for journalism, not presidential history. Nonetheless, she has written with the flair of a historian and kept the story of William Henry Harrison interesting and entertaining throughout. This would've been a five-star book had Collins spent a little more time on Harrison's presidency. Granted, he was only president for a month, but come on, she barely cracked three pages on the topic!This is not a standalone biography, it is part of the Times Book series on the presidents. Therefore, the dominant feature of each book should be the subjects' time as president. Sure, in Harrison's case, that's a little difficult, but still, the author simply glossed over the topic.On the other hand, if the reader is looking for a Harrison biography, not necessarily an analysis of his albeit brief presidency, then this is a fine little book.
5.0 out of 5 stars The shortest presidency
I have embarked on an intellectual/historical trek that involves reading every US Presidential biography. Thus far, I have read:Ron Chernow’s WASHINGTON: A LIFEDavid McCullough’s JOHN ADAMSJon Meacham’s THOMAS JEFFERSON: THE ART OF POWERDuane Ostler’s JAMES MADISON: AMERICAN PROPHET.Harlow Giles Unger’s THE LAST FOUNDING FATHER: JAMES MONROE AND A NATION’S CALL TO GREATNESSHarlow Giles Unger’s JOHN QUINCY ADAMSH.W. Brands' ANDREW JACKSON: His Life and Times.Ted Widmer’s MARTIN VAN BUREN.Gail Collins’ WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.Currently, I have begun Edward P. Crapol’s JOHN TYLER: THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT.Like Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison is noted in Michael J. Gerhardt’s THE FORGOTTEN PRESIDENTS: THEIR UNTOLD CONSTITUTIONAL LEGACY*. Harrison is the best example of a president who accomplished little during his presidency. He, of course, died in office after serving only one month. During that month, he was not a well person and apparently, the physicians made him worse. If Harrison had late 20th century medical technology, he would have been able to complete at least one term in office.The book has nothing to offer in providing the reader insight into the office of the presidency. This is understandable. I must say that Collins does a fantastic job in describing the electoral process. Harrison’s run for office represents the worse dirty politicking in American history up to that point. Collins points out that the violence and drunkenness associated with the campaigning left women with no desire to gain the right to vote. It was a bad time: MUCH worse than the campaigning during the Trump/Clinton election.Overall, the book offered grand insight into the influence Harrison’s campaigning process had on future elections.*This is a book I strongly recommend everyone to read.
3.0 out of 5 stars Well Written, Very Short
This book is a decent account of Harrison's short life. Collins is a good writer. But I feel gouged by the $8.99 price tag for such a brief book. I feel Bolo, being aware of my pattern of reading through books of president's lives, overcharged me. I feel cheated, over observed and over analyzed by Big Brother.
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting for a President who served one month in office.
This is one in a series of brief bios of the American Presidents; I've read a half-dozen so far and this is among the best. What a quizzical, fascinating character this old coot was! And, although he campaigned as something of a naif, how he handled the mercurial Henry Clay once elected! Of course, as history remembers, that didn't last long (one month, to be exact) after which time the budding Whig party deteriorated into factionalism. Unlike some authors in this series Ms. Collins is a syndicated columnist and not an academic. It's appropriate for this bio because Harrison's long life is punctuated by many colorful anecdotes - and because he ran against the unpopular Martin van Buren, the political machinations that got him there are (unlike, say, Franklin Pierce) not all that complicated. Plus I very much liked Ms. Collins's account of her "personal" connection with the old General. I am unfamiliar with this era in American history and I plan to read more about it thanks to her pleasing intro to the subject.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. It really puts you in the context ...
Excellent book. It really puts you in the context of the time in which he lived. It is very hard to find a book on this particular president, since he was only the president for 31 days.
3.0 out of 5 stars Decent book
Decent book and has some interesting parts to it, but a little shallow in terms of content as there’s honestly not much you can write more about WHH that hasn’t already been written.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good But Short Biography
WH Harrison being maybe the most non-descript President in the history of the USA has one of the shortest biographies of a President I have read. Yes he only served 31 days as President. He was sick in all of those days having worn himself out campaigning and then giving a three hour speech in the rain and cold at his inauguration. He deserved more that what he got in this book. He was a distinguished military man who served his country very admirably for many years. He was one the first to go on the road and campaign for the Presidency. He did this to show he was not too old to be President. Even though he was very old for the times at 67. I found in this short biography an interesting man who intended to do what he thought best for the country. The publisher that commissioned this series on the Presidents were wanting just brief biographies. For ones like Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln etc.... this would be fine as there are many other books written to find out everything we can about their lives. But these Presidents that fell between Jackson and Lincoln have every little written about them. There should be something done to rectify this and to bring out the total in person about each of these Presidents. This book overall was well written. The writer had an interesting angle to want to write this book as her father had help tear down Harrison's North Bend home many years ago. There were many good and interesting things brought out about him. But just not enough and left you wanting more. Maybe someday some others will write full blown biographies on Harrison and one that followed him up to Lincoln.
William Henry Harrison
very informative
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William Henry Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 9th President, 1841
BHD11525
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