44 books

Good news! You'd only have to read 43. Grover Cleveland is counted twice, as both the 22nd and the 24th president.

"Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America" by Rick Perlstein is pretty darn good, especially if you are interested in the rise of American neoconservatism

Ron Chernow's Washington: A Life is by far the most well-written, informative, and well-balanced book of the life of Washington that exists (IMO). Although written for a popular audience, Chernow does not skirt away from the uncomfortable failures of Washington's life as well as his successes. It's a wonderfully compete biography.

"Garfield: A Biography" by Allan Peskin. My favorite president and a great read (very long but one hell of a life story).

Master of the Senate by Robert Caro will teach you a lot about LBJ. It doesn't deal with his presidency at all though, it just covers his years in the the Senate in the 1950s.

"The Life of Andrew Jackson" by Robert V Remini. There is a 3 part version and an abridged version. The latter being excellent. Is Remini the neutralist of authors? Probably not, but his writing is excellent. His excitement/interest really shows and makes for a great read.

Not a history per se, but the autobiography of Ulysses S Grant is superb. Doesn't spend much time on his actual presidency, but it is a delightful read. Lots of amazing insights into his experience before and during the civil war and the tragedy of losing Lincoln.

"Eisenhower in War and Peace" is normally considered the best bio of him.

"Mornings on Horseback" (Teddy Roosevelt) is as readable as any David McCullough, but stops before going into his actual Presidency.

"His Excellency: George Washington" is my favorite bio of #1, but there are plenty of other options.

John Adams by David McCullough. Get ready to see lots from this author.

Michael Gerhatdt. The Constitutional Legacy of Forgotten Presidents. For a bit of Tyler, a bit of Taylor, a smidgen of Fillmore, a touch of Pierce. Serious treatment of the question "Did these guys actually do anything?"

Edmund Morris' trilogy on Theodore Roosevelt - The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex, and Colonel Roosevelt - are some of the best history I've ever read, let alone biography. Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals is an excellent biography of Lincoln that shows the political acumen of a president we don't often think of as cunning; her No Ordinary Time is also great, but it focuses more on the home front of World War II and the relationship of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt than telling FDR's whole life story. Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow does a wonderful job of showing the greatness of Washington while not shying away from his faults, failures, and mistakes. Finally, Robert Caro's five-part epic, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, details LBJ's early life, rise to power, and domination of the Senate, and the unpublished fifth volume will deal with his actual presidency.

All of these are also available in audiobook format from Audible. Not shilling, but I'm legally blind, and it's how I was able to read them all.

Hi, this was a somewhat popular request a few years ago. Check out this old post, which has a couple of recommendations, and links to a few more. Since then, there have been several other requests for books on various individuals, so if you're looking for something specific, a few quick searches should turn up a bunch more.

• I was thinking an interesting way to expand my understanding of American History would be to read the best biography of each president in order. What are the best existing biographies of each of the 43 prior presidents?

Gore Vidal wrote a great book on Lincoln. It's technically historical fiction, rather than a straight biography, but it's both educational and high-level literature.

I would strongly recommend reading Theodore Rex for an extensive and detailed look at his presidency. The other books in the trilogy cover his whole life.

Lincoln the Unknown by Dale Carnegie. Excellent book.

"The Bully Pulpit", by Doris Kearns Goodwin is an excellent look at Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, covering the life of each, their respective presidencies as well as their public lives afterwards, and is particularly good at exploring the way that Roosevelt used the media so effectively to further his goals. It also explores the close friendship between Roosevelt and Taft, as well as the decay of that relationship. Very readable.

Ralph Ketcham has a great biography of James Madison.